


Talk to Her

by IcarusWings87



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: F/F, Friendship, Love Confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2018-07-16 12:40:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 27,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7268638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcarusWings87/pseuds/IcarusWings87
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The girls are in New York, but even with all the excitement they still need to deal with lingering feelings. </p><p>Nozoeli focus with a NicoMaki on the side.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The day had been full of sightseeing, allowing the members of μ's to visit many places over the course of the day. They went to the zoo where they saw penguins and flamingos (the groups favorite), they went through central park, they went to many different stores and of course they had practiced and rehearsed for their upcoming performance. The performance was the whole reason they had come to New York, but the girls couldn't help but get lost in the wonder of the foreign country and the overwhelming nature of NYC itself.

By the time the group had returned back to the hotel, the girls were tired and opted for some relaxation before dinner that night. Rin and Hanayo immediately headed off to their room, Rin propping up Hanayo as the young girl wasn't used to so much excitement in one day. Rin was proud of her friend, though. Hanayo hadn’t asked anyone to save her once that day and it must have been tiring for her childhood friend. She nuzzled her head lightly against the top of Hanayo hair, as the shy girl yawned.

“There, there, Kayo-chin.” Rin said softly as they headed down the hallway. “It’ll be nap time soon, Nya~.”

Kotori waved them off as she stood with the other girls in the lobby of the hotel. Umi just to her right.

Honoka yawned loudly. “Hanayo has the right idea. I think it is nap time.”

Umi tsked a bit at her friend but Kotori just giggled. 

“It’s because you ate all of that bread at lunch, Honoka. If you had eaten a healthy lunch you wouldn't feel so sluggish,” Umi scolded.

“Umi-chan,” Kotori said. “It has been a long day. We where up early to run and then we practiced after that BEFORE we went sight seeing around town. We are all a little tired from the excitement.”

“Not to mention the time change,” Nozomi added. “It is much different than Japan.” 

Eli nodded in agreement.

“And we should try to also enjoy some downtime, Umi,” Eli added. “A nap isn't the end of the world.” She smiled at the blue haired girl. Seeing that she was outnumbered in people and logic, Umi sighed in concession.

“Fine,” Umi said.

Honoka laughed and then headed back to the room she was sharing with Nico and Eli. 

Kotori tugged on Umi’s coat sleeve, and when Umi looked over she was wearing a quiet, asking smile. No words needed to be said for Umi to understand the question. Umi, however, tried to resist.

“Umi-chan, Onegai?” Kotori pouted. “You need your rest too.”

Umi bit her lip, but nodded. She then allowed Kotori to lead her by the hand back to their room for a nap, making sure not to look back at the third years to avoid embarrassment. 

Nozomi chuckled at the scene and Eli only spoke once the two second years were out of earshot. “Kotori sure has her wrapped around her finger.”

Nico rolled her eyes. “You are one to talk, blondie.”

“Eh?” Eli asked, bewildered. Nozomi wore an innocent grin. 

“Nevemind…” Nico sighed, but at that moment her eye caught a certain redhead across the room. Nico’s gaze followed Maki as she walked across the lobby and stopping near a smattering of lounge chairs. Right next to the chair, the red headed girl had found a piano. Maki was observing it like she wanted to play it, running her hand over the key casing, and looking lost in thought.

Nozomi got a mischievous grin on her face as Eli was still confused. “Ni-co-chi…you should go talk to her.”

“Eh? What? No. Why would I want to do that?” Nico crossed her arms over her chest. “That tsun-tsun would just tell me to me go away. She likes to play the piano by herself anyhow. Doesn't want me around.” Nico stalked off in the direction of the gift shop. “Gotta buy souvenirs for my siblings anyhow.”

Nozomi watched a little sadly as Nico walked away. Eli noticed and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. 

“They’ll figure out their relationship out one day,” Eli consoled. “You can't fix everything, Nozomi.”

Nozomi smiled softly at Eli and placed her hand atop Eli’s for a moment. 

“I know. But I can't help but want to help. Call it my mothering instinct. I just know Nicocchi has been by herself for a long time. And we three are graduating soon. We won’t be together like this for much longer. Not like we were, anyhow. High school is coming to a close.”

Nozomi slowly let her hand fall off Eli’s shoulder as she contemplated her own words. She turned from Eli to face the gift shop once more. “I don't want anyone to be lonely, not like I was.” She said, more to herself than to Eli.

“But you aren't alone anymore. None of us are. You gave us μ's.” Eli smiled at her friend.

“No, we gave ourselves that. I just gave a few well placed pushes, Elicchi. Yourself included. Or need I remind you how stubborn you where being?” Nozomi teased, attempting to lighten the mood.

Eli blushed. “Mou, I was awful, wasn't I?” 

Nozomi shrugged. “You were doing what you thought was best at the time but it wasn't making you happy. I just gave you a push in the right direction because I could see that you weren’t happy, no matter how well you tried to put duty first.”

Eli smiled a bit getting lost looking at her friend. She was so grateful that Nozomi had come into her life when she did. And despite how close they where, Eli knew that sometimes Nozomi kept herself closed off - even from Eli who was her best friend.

“You can read me so easily sometimes it is unnerving,”  Eli commented. “But I guess that is what makes you so special.” 

Nozomi heart fluttered a bit as Eli called her special. She did her best to hide the blush and over pleased expression that was creeping onto her face. Nozomi had deeper feelings for Eli. Feelings that threatened to overwhelm her at times. Feelings that caused her heart to attempt to beat out of her chest when she shared moments like this with the tall blonde girl. She’d thought many times of confessing to Eli, but no matter how much she wanted to, she didn't want to upset the balance of their important friendship by doing something so...selfish. It was selfish. At least it felt that way to Eli if Eli didn’t feel the same way. And Nozomi had convinced herself that she didn’t feel that way about Nozomi.

So, Nozomi just smiled in her normal way, pressing down the beating of her heart and suppressing the feelings inside of her. There was a moment of fragility right before Nozomi’s smile came back to her face. And even though Nozomi was practiced at the art of coverup, Eli, of course, noticed the moment it happened.

“Nozomi, are you okay?” Eli asked with concern in her eyes. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Nozomi lied, avoiding looking Eli directly in the eye. “Just a little tired myself. I think may follow the other girls’ lead and indulge in a nap too. I do enjoy them.” Nozomi laughed off her internal pain.

“Yeah, maybe that is a good idea. I hope you aren't getting sick or anything. Want me to come with you?”

Nozomi wanted to say yes. The thought of napping next to Eli was a comforting one. Being near Eli would be heaven to her. Maki was still in the lobby. It would just be the two of them. Peaceful, for a change. But Nozomi didn't trust herself not to give her feelings away if they were alone like that. So, she deflected her feelings again. 

“My, my, Elichi. Trying to get into my bed. What if Maki-chan came back to the room and caught us?” Nozomi teased. When in doubt, cover up sincere feelings with a joke. 

Eli immediately blushed a deep crimson. Nozomi thought she looked so cute when she did. She giggled.

“Nozomi…” Eli started to scold.

“Elicchi, It was a joke. Perhaps you still need to ease up a bit. I’ll be fine. You go nap or something too.” Nozomi said as she walked away from her friend. “I’ll see you at dinner with the others.” 

She waved over her shoulder, her face falling into a frown once her back was turned. She went back to her room, lost in her thoughts before finally taking a nap.

\---

Once Nozomi was gone, Eli walked in the direction of the lobby area, sitting down with a flop in a very plush chair.

Eli sighed, looking up at the ceiling. Nearby, Maki was playing the piano softly, but Eli wasn't paying attention. Maki observed the blonde with a keen eye, as she continued playing a piece that trickled from her brain.

“10 yen for your thoughts.” 

Eli jumped in her chair as Maki spoke to her. 

“Maki, I didn't see you there.” Eli said, clutching her chest, trying to return her heart rate to normal. Maki laughed lightly.

“So, Eli, what's on your mind? You looked sad.” 

“It’s nothing.”

“Doesn't look like nothing.”

“Well,” Eli said as she rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s about Nozomi. She is so reserved sometimes that I don't know what she is truly feeling. She tends to hide, if you know what i mean. I’ve gotten better at reading her since we’re close friends but sometimes...”

“Yea, she does that with all of us. It is her default setting, I think. And it seems that she makes sure to shut herself off from even you, at times,” Maki commented. “She didn't seem sad or anything, just normal to me. Maybe it is just habit.” 

Maki was lying, testing the waters to see how observant Eli was actually being of Nozomi’s actions in this instance. Since sharing a room with Nozomi for the trip, Maki had noticed that something was very obviously off with her purple haired senpai. She just wanted to see what Eli thought.

“I dunno. I think something is wrong, but I can’t put my finger on it. And, yeah, I know that she does that with a lot of people but I am her best friend. You’d think that she would be able to talk to me about it...at least. Isn’t that what I’m there for?” Eli voiced aloud, sounding lost.

Maki nodded. Eli was paying attention. That was good. “Well, we have been really busy lately with preparing for and going to the Love Live and now New York in order to promote the continuation of the Love Live. Not much time for things outside of practice. Have you two hung out much lately?” 

“Not really, but we see each other a lot during the rest of it. We see each other every day. But when I’m not doing things for graduation or for u’s I have to take care of Alisa so i need to go home when I have free time. And college is coming up so I have to get ready for that...there has just been a lot to do.” Eli confessed.

Maki nodded once more. “And when do you think that Nozomi would have had time to talk to you in between all that if there was something wrong?”

“Anytime she wanted. She could have just asked me…” Eli protested lightly but was cut off by Maki mid sentence. 

“Eli,” Maki said, as she stopped playing the piano. “This is Nozomi we are talking about. She wouldn't have wanted to bother you. She wouldn't have done something so selfish as to ask you to talk if you were so busy. Especially if it was just to see you outside of practice.”

Eli mentally kicked herself. 

Of course. They had been around everyone else all the time, busy with practice and everything else. And Eli was choreographing everything so she had been extra busy. 

“But how do I fix that?” Eli asked aloud. 

“Just talk to her,” Maki concluded. “But do it when you’re alone. I mean, we only have dinner planned tonight at the hotel with everyone. Why don't you two do your own thing? Go see NYC but just the two of you. See if she opens up. I’m fairly sure the others won’t mind.” Maki offered as she started playing the piano again.

“Umi would throw a fit.” Eli commented, but it was clear that she was heavily considering the idea.

“Leave Umi to me.” Maki offered. “I’ll talk to her.”

Eli beamed at Maki. “Arigato, Maki. I think this will definitely cheer her up. Now to figure out where to go.”

“Just make a loose plan and go have some fun. You two deserve it. You’re like our parents after all. You two always look out for us. Now, it is my turn to do so for you.” Maki admitted in a moment of full honesty. The vulnerability made her feel uncomfortable and she brought a finger up in habit to twirl at a strand of her red hair. The motion of shutting herself off from her feelings was not unnoticed by Eli. And Maki was brought out of her emotional seclusion as Eli suddenly hugged her. 

“Eh?! Eli…”

“Arigato, Maki-chan.” Eli said softly before letting go and then headed off towards her room.

Maki attempted to wipe the blush off her face before she gave up and focused back on the piano. Her fingers lingered for only a moment before she started playing again. Something quiet. Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven.

She continued to concentrate on the music, letting her fingers lead her in an art that she had practiced thousands of times. So, it wasn't until she felt someone slide onto the bench next to her that she payed attention to her surroundings.

“I overheard your conversation,” came Nico’s voice. 

“What's it to you?” Maki reflexively snapped. She wasn’t so much mad at Nico as she was startled. And sometimes the worst of Maki came out. Unfortunately, it was usually around Nico.

“I was just offering some advice. It is none of your business anyhow,” Maki began playing the piano once more, albeit a little more forcefully than she normally would. But as soon as she did, she found a small hand on top of hers, stopping her from playing.

“Maki,” Nico said, her hand settling very gentle upon the red head’s hand. And when Maki turned to look at her, Nico’s hand was settled back at her side.

“That was a nice thing to do for Eli. She can be a bit dense. So, nudging her is the best thing you could have done for her. And Nozomi by proxy. Nozomi will love the plan. She's been alone most of the time since Eli’s been busy. And as we know she doesn't have anyone around except for us. Her mother and father are now on job in Korea. So, they missed her birthday again this year. So, thank you for helping Eli with that plan. It will mean a lot to Nozomi.”

Maki was taken aback by the softness of Nico’s words. She was usually brash and argumentative in a way that equalled Maki’s own way of being. Then there were times like this where Nico could also be tender and kind. Both Maki and Nico shared these qualities, good and bad, but when it came to each other it was rarely shown due to their stubbornness.

“It means a lot to me you helping them out like that,” Nico said, trailing the fingers of her hand across the smooth varnish of the piano, inching them closer to where Maki’s hand rested nearby. And within another moment Nico was intertwining her fingers with Maki’s longer, delicate ones. “Coming from you, that is.”

Maki felt her heart swell in her chest a bit as she received the compliment. She looked at Nico, taking in her red colored eyes.

There was no sign of joking. Just sincerity. And Maki smiled softly at Nico. It was an unusual moment between the two of them. It wasn't sarcasm or an argument. And caught up in the moment, Maki spoke before she could stop herself.

“ _ You _ mean a lot to me, Nico-chan. I will miss you when you graduate things won’t be the same when you are gone.” Maki admitted. Nico’s eyes went wide, not knowing if she was hearing correctly.

Nico took a moment to process this as her heart soared. She cared deeply for the red headed girl but their personalities had a hard time of showing it. 

“Well, I don't have to be gone, you know. We could...hang out. Or something…when I don’t classes or work.” Nico said, blushing.

Maki smiled and nodded.

“I think I would like that.” 

The two settled into a nice silence as Maki went back to playing the piano, one handed, while she kept her and Nico’s hands together.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: "Only 2 parts, right? That will make it easier to manage. It's supposed to be a short fic, anyway."
> 
> Brain: "Yup, that makes logical sense. Just an easy story with some nice themes and fluff..."
> 
> *Cue a week of writing later*
> 
> Me: "What have you done? Where did all this come from?!"
> 
> Brain: "Well, you see, I couldn't just half ass it. We needed to flush things out a bit and add in some side humor and a bit of angst to make the end worth it..."
> 
> Me: "But we've exceeded the expected word limit. What are we at now?" *looks at word count and curses*
> 
> Brain: "I can explain! It really isn't that bad, we just need to cut it into a few chapters..."
> 
> Me: *long sigh* "No, that wasn't the point. But we've already edited it and I don't want to take anything out. It is a good story, at least. I just wish it wasn't a single chapter over 10,000 words and we still aren't finished with that one last section...." *continues to type*
> 
> Me: "Well, we're finished but I'm not going to post an over 12,000 word chapter. I'm breaking it into two. I blame you too, fingers." *glares at fingers*
> 
> Fingers: *bloodied and bandaged, lying swollen on the keyboard after typing everything AND tiering in LLSIF this week* "We regret nothing..."  
> \---  
> And that's how this became a three parter. But I like what I wrote and I'll stick by it. I hope you enjoy it. I've already got the last part written so it will go up in the next two days. Thank you for being patient.
> 
> And with that, let's get on with the story.
> 
> *******

Nozomi had just woken from her nap. The nap had not been a very long one, much to her dismay, as it had taken her much longer than she would have liked to fall asleep in the first place. And even then, when she had finally fallen asleep, it had been a troubled form of sleep. Her sadness from earlier had seeped into her dreams and the nap hadn’t been restful at all. So, there she sat, back against the headboard and attempting to process through her thoughts and feelings from the images that her subconscious mind had shown her.

In her dream, she had been running very hard, trying to catch up to someone in front of her. She’d felt like with each step she took she was only became further and further behind by the person in front of her; the distance actually increasing with each of her footfalls. And the ridiculous thing was that the person she was chasing was only maintaining a walking pace. The person never did look back at her or wait for Nozomi to catch up, no matter how she had called out. The person just remained forward facing as if they didn’t care that Nozomi was falling woefully behind them.  
Now, Nozomi wasn’t dumb. She knew what the dream meant. She’d been a student of dreams as well as tarot for many years, interpreting both for her classmates and those that visited the shrine she worked at.

No, she knew very well what the dream meant, especially since the person whom she’d been chasing after had greatly resembled a certain, very tall, very blonde girl that she had known for several years. And as she pulled the blanket tighter around herself and buried her head beneath it she had to finally admit one thing to herself: She was afraid that once they graduated and μ's was over that Eli was going to leave her behind.

If that occurred, then Nozomi would be very much alone. After all, Nozomi had a distant relationship with her parents, mainly due to their various work assignments pulling them away from their daughter all the time. Some of Nozomi’s first memories even consisted of saying goodbye to her mother and father and then being left on her own to grow up and figure things out. And those memories remained that same up until the point that she had chosen to stay at Otonokizaka, when she was able to actually live on her own and take care of herself. Her parents had seemed relieved that they wouldn’t have to worry about carting their daughter around with them anymore and even though it was the best thing for both Nozomi and her parents, logistically, it did not hurt Nozomi’s feelings any less, nor did it ease the feeling of loneliness that she carried around inside of her.

It wasn’t that the Tojo’s didn’t like their daughter but their busy schedules rarely eased up, not even in consideration of them having children.

So, Nozomi had remained behind in Tokyo because she wanted to go through high school in one place and because she had wanted to stay with one of the first friends she could remember having: Eli.

And now Nozomi worried that soon the time would come for them to part. Each girl would move on with their lives, go to college, leave Otonokizaka for the bigger world outside. There would be no more school idols or student council to bind them together. She couldn’t help but imagine a time in the future when she would no longer see her friends every day and she wondered if she would just go back to what her life was like before she met Eli or the other girls: constantly feeling broken.

Nozomi shook her head. No, now wasn’t the time to worry. They were still together for the time being. They were on a trip together where they would perform for TV cameras and they would have fun. It was time to enjoy and bask in the company of her friends while she still had them. She would stay at Eli’s side as long as she could. She reached over to her bedside table where she had set her tarot cards before her nap. She drew the top card. It was the chariot. She needed to move forward as best as she could. Things would happen as they did and she needed to face it head on, like the driver of the chariot on the card. She sighed, wondering if she was strong enough to continue moving forward. But for now, she needed to get ready for dinner with her friends.

She slide out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

\---

Eli stood outside of room 609 staring at the door. She didn’t know why she hadn’t knocked on the door yet. She was just going to ask Nozomi to hang out. They were just going to get dinner and take in some of the sights. They had done this hundreds of times back at home, frequently going out for parfaits and shopping back in Akihabara. Or they went to an arcade or just for a walk around the city. This wasn’t a new thing for them. They were best friends, after all. So, why did she feel this way?

Eli couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about the experience felt different. Was it the city? Perhaps. Perhaps not. They had been out with everyone for most of the past day and a half and there hadn’t been anything frightening about New York City. In fact, it felt a bit like Akihabara but with much more English. At least Eli thought it did.  
But no, today was different. It was different because it wasn’t just two best friends stopping somewhere on their way home from school. They weren’t messing around after they completed their homework, when they had no other responsibilities for the day.

No, this time was different because Eli was asking Nozomi out with her to explore the city. Just the two of them so they could talk about what was bothering Nozomi. Because Eli needed to know what the root cause was to the problem. And in order to do that, Eli needed the outing to be a fun and perfect; perhaps one that would show Nozomi how important she was to Eli so that she would stop hiding her emotions and thoughts from the blonde.

There was a lot riding on the experience, so, naturally, Eli was putting a lot of pressure on herself to plan for the outing. She’d spent the last hour and a half making plans and a list of places they could go. She’d mapped out the subway routes (getting the help of the hotel concierge in the process, of course). She only hoped that she would be able to pull this off in order to make up for all the time they hadn’t been around each other outside of school idol practices or events lately. Eli felt the need to fix the sadness she had seen in Nozomi’s eyes, because if Eli was honest with herself she had been so absorbed in her own things and μ's practices that she had neglected her best friend for other things. She’d taken her for granted the last few weeks. It was by accident, of course, but Eli knew that she needed to be more considerate. Nozomi had been the one to reach out to her back in the first days that she lived in Tokyo. She had seen past Eli’s cold exterior, her distance with everyone around her. She’d approached Eli that day on the stairs and in turn opened up the world for her, showing her what a wonderful place it could be. It would be wrong of Eli now to, even accidentally, close it off for her friend.

And yet, with all her planning Eli was still nervous. Would it be good enough for Nozomi? Had she done enough? Eli’s heart raced slightly as she raised her hand to knock on the hotel room door... She would make it perfect for Nozomi no matter what.

\---

Nozomi looked in the mirror and decided that she had put enough energy into fixing her hair in order to go down to dinner. She’d just fixed her hair in the usual low twintails down her back and decided that would be enough for a casual dinner with her friends. Now, with a fresh change of casual clothes, she made checked her smile in the mirror one last time before grabbing her purse and heading out to join her friends. But the moment she turned the door handle and opened the door, she was stopped in her tracks as her gaze met a set of vivid azure blue eyes.

Nozomi paused, her mouth agape as Eli stood there with her fist mere inches from Nozomi’s forehead. Eli blinked awkwardly before quickly lowered her hand as her face flushed with embarrassment.

“Hiya Elichi!” Nozomi said, smiling quickly to cover up her own awkwardness. “Fancy meeting you here...”

Eli rubbed the back of her neck and stammered. “Y-yeah. Fancy that…”

Nozomi giggled, Eli sure was cute when she was embarrassed.

“Is there something you need? Since you were about to knock on my door.” Nozomi gestured to the now open door, then back to Eli, looking expectant.

“Well, I was..” Eli’s words caught in her throat. _Why was this so difficult?_ She thought. _It was just Nozomi. Why do I feel so nervous?_

Nozomi watched Eli as her emotions flickered across her face. Eli had never been great at hiding her emotions when she wasn’t at school or when it was just the two of them hanging out. Eli managed her cold exterior at school for the longest time, until she met μ's, but even then  Nozomi could read her like an open book.

When Eli gave no further answer, seeming unable to formulate the words she wanted, Nozomi reached a hand out and gently touched Eli’s arm. Surprised by the sudden physical contact, Eli’s heart rate skyrocketed, and the blonde’s ears turned a violent shade of embarrassment red.

“Did Elichi forget because I surprised her?” Nozomi teased. Eli merely swallowed, not answering. This just caused Nozomi to giggle a bit more.

“That’s okay. You can think on it and tell me over dinner. Which, speaking of, we best get going or else Umi’s gonna yell at us for being late.”

Nozomi turned around to close the hotel room door behind her. When she removed her hand from Eli’s arm to do so Eli immediately missed the warm sensation from the contact.

_What’s the matter with me?_ Eli thought as she stayed rooted to the spot, which was very close to Nozomi since Eli hadn’t shifted her position from when she had reached to knock on the door. Nozomi was always pretty, but in moments like this, when Eli got to be so close to her, she was able to appreciate just how beautiful Nozomi had become over the time that Eli had known her.

At this distance, Eli could see all of the tiny imperfections that lurked around the smooth edge of friend’s soft, pale skin.

At this distance, Eli could catch the smell the faint earthiness of Nozomi’s scent. She could catch the light mixture of a fruity sweetness from the light perfume that Nozomi used, and usually, just at the end, Eli could catch a hint of incense from the shrine that Nozomi worked at. Right now, however, that last bit was missing from Nozomi’s familiar aroma. This was due to the fact that she had not been helping around the shrine for a whole week while they were traveling abroad to help promote school idols. But even with the tiny bit of the puzzle missing, Nozomi was still Nozomi. And Eli found easily herself lost in all the aspects of her friend, feeling the longing to be closer to her creeping towards the surface. And it was then, in that moment, that Eli figured out why she was so nervous about that night: It felt like she was asking Nozomi on a date.

Eli smacked herself internally, feeling very stupid for not realizing it sooner. She didn’t even stop to consider what feelings doing this might dredge up inside her. Or that those feeling might spill over into her actions more than they already did. She hoped that Nozomi hadn’t noticed anything too off. At least, not yet.

Eli was kicking herself, not because she did want a date with Nozomi. On the contrary, Eli would love nothing more than to be open with her feelings and invite Nozomi out to dinner and share a romantic evening. Eli had wanted to call Nozomi her girlfriend for a long time, and she wasn’t able to count the number of times that she had imagined such a thing in her mind; how they might hold hands or go for dinner, or sit on the couch cuddling while watching one of their favorite movies, or kiss…

But no matter how big her heart’s desire, Eli had never dared to let that dream actually seep into reality. For one, her parents would never accept such a relationship, though part of her didn’t care. She knew that she’d be able to make it on her own with her skills and determination. And Nozomi was her world, anyway, so she would still be happy. The only other thing that held Eli back was that if she did go out on a limb and confess her feelings to Nozomi she might risk ruining everything that she had built up with the purple haired girl over the course of the last three years. Eli frowned a bit at her own cowardice. But she shook it off as she continued looking at her friend. This wasn’t about her, it was about Nozomi and how she felt. She pushed her own feelings down and began, once again, to focus on her friend.

So, with all of these thought flooding through her mind, Eli had failed to realize that she was, once again, staring too intently. When she looked up she found herself looking into Nozomi’s curious turquoise eyes again.

In response to finally regaining Eli’s attention, Nozomi leaned in close with her trademark smirk.

“See something you like, Elichi?” Nozomi whispered, causing Eli to jump back a bit.

“N-nozomi! It isn’t like…mou….” Eli turned around, crossing her arms. She hated when Nozomi teased her, it made things so much more unbearable. She needed to get a grip on herself and get her heart to stop beating so quickly. Surely, at this rate, Nozomi would hear it.

Nozomi giggled at the blonde’s antics, but deep inside it pained her to joke like this. She wanted nothing more than to openly mean what she said, to reach out to Eli or move closer to her. But she kept it inside and continued with the charade, pretending like she didn’t harbor feelings for the blonde.

“It’s okay, Elichi, it was just a joke,” Nozomi said as she dodged to the front of Eli and poked her on the cheek with her index finger. “C’mon, let’s go join the others. My nap made me hungry.”

Nozomi took off first down the hall and Eli moved automatically to follow before she remembered why she was up here in the first place. She reached out and grabbed Nozomi’s arm, causing her to turn around with a questioning look.

“Nozomi, wait. That’s sort of why I came up here. Do you, maybe, want to…” Eli stammered.

Nozomi raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Do I want to…?”

Eli kicked herself for not just acting cool. So, she took a deep breathe before she continued.

“I don’t want to have dinner with the others tonight. I thought that maybe we could go do something on our own.” Eli smiled.

“On our own?” Nozomi asked, taken aback by the sudden request. “Shouldn’t we just eat with the others? It would be easier, wouldn’t it?”

“It would but I don’t care. I just thought we could spend some time together. We’ve been pretty busy lately so I feel like I don’t see you anywhere besides practice.” Eli laughed, attempting to lighten her mood.

“Well, it does sound like a good idea, but won’t Umi freak out that we’re trying to venture out on our own? I mean, I after Honoka giving them the wrong address when we arrived, I don’t think she can take the stress,” Nozomi thought aloud with a laugh of her own. “And besides, Umi would kill us if we got lost. It would probably just give her a heart attack just knowing we were out in the city by yourself. You know how much it would worry her so it might just be better to eat with everyone else. “We can always hang out when we get back to Japan.1” Nozomi reasoned.

“I don’t care about Umi,” Eli admitted aloud to Nozomi. “She’s gonna worry no matter what. But she doesn’t matter right now.”

“That’s quite the thing to say, Elichi. You don’t sound like your usual Senpai self. What would the girls at school think if they heard their respectable and considerate Ayase-san speak in such a manner about one of her Kohai?” Nozomi attempted to jest at the blonde, but she was curious as to what had brought on Eli’s sudden behavior.

“Well, I don’t,” Eli shrugged. “Right now, I care about you. I want to experience this city with you. You’re my best friend, Nozomi. I want this memory with you. And Umi isn’t gonna stop me. And besides, Maki said she’d play defense for us so it will all be fine.”

“Good luck to her. Umi is a tough nut to crack,” Nozomi snorted. “Maki has her work cut out for her.”

“Nozomi, this isn’t a joke. I’m serious, do you not want to spend the evening with me?” Eli asked, hoping that the answer wasn’t yes.

Nozomi blinked at the question and shook her head. “No, Elichi, I’d love to but I just don’t know what’s gotten into you all of a sudden. You usually plan things so carefully, and this feels very spontaneous of you. Quite Romantic.” Nozomi waggled her eyebrows. Again, the teasing came naturally, helping to mask her true feelings.

“Mou, stop teasing me. If you want to go, then we’ll go. And nothing's really gotten into me, I just realized that we’ve been too busy lately. And I’d really like to spend some one-on-one time with you while we’re on vacation. We haven’t been hanging out lately because of all the other stuff that’s gotten in the way,” Eli stepped forward, feeling braver than her feelings normally allowed. “I’ve been busy and I have been neglecting you when I have to tend to my responsibilities with Alisa or my family. And even with having passed the student council responsibility over to Honoka, Kotori, and Umi, things have still been busy there too. Not to mention preparing for the entrance exams for university and everything else that comes with it,” Eli frowned a bit.

“Elichi, it’s fine, really, I know you have things you need to do. It’s fine, really,” Nozomi insisted, not wanting Eli to feel guilty over such a thing. Nozomi had been lonely but she understood that people get busy. It had been a theme all of her life.

“No, it’s not fine. I should have been more diligent. And I know you, you say it is fine when in fact you feel isolated when I don’t have time to hang out. I’ve known you three years, Nozomi. Don’t think I don’t understand at least that much about you.” Eli commented, taking Nozomi’s hands in hers. “Now, let me make it up to you by taking you to some fun places tonight, okay?”  

Nozomi gazed into Eli’s eyes for a moment before smiling.

“There is nothing to make up to me, silly Elichi. But if it makes you feel better, yes I’ll go with you tonight.” Nozomi squeezed her friend’s hands.  Nozomi felt her pulse quicken from the intimate contact with Eli. She only hoped the blonde couldn't hear or feel it.

Eli smiled, observing Nozomi as she did so. Nozomi was still acting a bit guarded and that was disheartening to Eli but perhaps Nozomi would open up over the course of the night.

“Great, then it’s settled. I’ve got it all planned,” Eli smiled at Nozomi affectionately. This did nothing to help Nozomi feelings that were blossoming inside her chest.

Nozomi bit her lip but then nodded. It was just an outing between two friends. “Of course, Elichi does. I would expect nothing less, but we should really let the others know first.”

“Don’t worry about that. Like I said, Maki’s got that covered already.” Eli beamed at her, then puffed up a little bit, proudly. She would make this night one to remember for her best friend.

Eli gave Nozomi’s hands another squeeze before she let go of them. “Ok, I’ll meet you in the lobby in fifteen minutes.” Eli flashed Nozomi one last, very charming, smile and it took all of Nozomi’s willpower to not melt there on the spot.

“Don’t be late!” Eli waved as she jogged back into the direction of her own hotel room.

Nozomi waved back with a dazed smile before looking down at her clothing. She’d need something better than the clothes she was wearing if they were going out into the city. And she definitely needed to put a little more effort into her hair. Nozomi sighed as she turned back around, returning to her hotel room. She would need every minute of those fifteen minutes. She best get to it.

\---

Umi watched with disapproval as her two best friends in the entire world slowly smashed down on her nerves. The three of them, being the first to arrive for their arranged dinner time, were having to wait on the rest of their friends to arrive. Umi thought that it would be a simple task to wait quietly for the others, but Honoka and Kotori seemed to have other plans. Honoka, in particular, had began the fiasco by complaining about how hungry she was until Kotori suggested that they look over the hotel restaurant’s menu while they waited.

This had led to the current moment where Honoka was obsessing over the various types of bread dishes on the menu and Kotori following suit, the only difference being that the obsession of her eye was cheesecake. They were chattering incessantly over the fattening items and Umi could feel the vein in her forehead pulse intensely as Honoka indicated that since she couldn’t choose which bread dish she wanted.

“Honoka,” Umi began as calmly as she could manage. “You can’t just eat bread. You need to eat something more healthy or else your food will cause you to gain weight! Don’t you remember anything? Remember what happened last time?”

“But Umi-chan, we’re on vacation! The calories don’t count if you’re on vacation! That’s the rules! Right, Kotori-chan?” Honoka looked over at her ashen haired friend, who nodded and smiled in return.

“Mhm! That’s right Honoka-chan. Vacation is a magical place where you can eat anything you want!” Kotori said, rather seriously. “

“Kotori….” Umi grumbled.

“Right, Right!” Honoka nodded eagerly, turning her attention back to the menu. “I just can’t decide which one I want, though. How about you, Kotori-chan?”

“I think I’m gonna order this one,” Kotori pointed to the desert section of the menu, indicating a sampler selection of different cheesecakes. “It says I can pick three different ones, so that would be perfect!”

“Kotori…”

Umi was never as harsh on Kotori as she was on Honoka, due to her fondness for the ashen haired girl, but things were getting out of hand.  

“You’re just as bad as Honoka. You have to eat something other than cheesec--” Umi continued but kept getting cut off by Honoka.

“Oh! That’s a great idea, Kotori-chan, I wonder if they have a bread sampler?” Honoka examined the menu more closely, her brow furrowed in concentration. “Sadly, they do not. I guess I’ll just have to order four different dishes so I can try them all. This is the sacrifice that must be made in order to experience the deliciousness that this restaurant has to offer.” Honoka nodded very seriously as if preparing of battle.

“Shoganai. We must do our best on this vacation of ours. It is our way.” Kotori nodded in serious solidarity with Honoka, before returning to her own menu. Her eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. “Oh, you can order a WHOLE sampler cheesecake!”

“REALLY??!!!!” Honoka darted over to look at Kotori’s menu. “Sugoi! Let’s do that too!”

Umi could only put her face in her hands and choke back the urge to scream.

“Did something happen, Nya?”

Umi looked up from her distress to see Rin approaching with Hanayo trailing behind her. Hanayo still looked a little sleepy but much better than earlier after their sightseeing adventure.

“Rin-chan! Hanayo-chan!” Kotori and Honoka said in unison, startling the other two into alertness.

“W-what is it, Honoka-chan, Kotori-chan?” Hanayo asked cautiously.

“We’re gonna get a whole cheesecake and all of the bread!” Honoka exclaimed.

“So much food!” Rin said in astonishment. “It will be a challenge to eat it all, but we will win, Nya!”

“Why can’t we have rice?” Hanayo asked sadly, ducking her head, on the verge of tears. “We’ve had bread at every meal since we got here…”

Rin patted poor Hanayo on the back.

“There, there, Kayo-chin. Maybe they have some rice on the menu tonight. Let’s ask, Nya!”

“We can’t do that, Rin-chan, we must experience things in the American way while we are here. We can have rice when we go home, after all.” Honoka replied earnestly. “We always have rice at home, but we’re on vacation so we must experience the way Americans eat while we have the chance! There’s nothing wrong with bread, after all. You just aren’t used to---”

“Honoka! Leave Hanayo alone, not all of us are gluttons like you! You really are careless sometimes, you can’t just expect Hanayo to.” Umi finally lost it and yelled at her friend.

The other patrons in the lobby began to look over at the commotion the girls were causing.

“Umi-chan is so mean. Uwahwah!” Honoka whined as she shrunk under the weight of Umi’s lecture.

Kotori, on the other hand, had started to notice the other hotel guests watching them and knew that if she didn’t interrupt Umi before she hit her stride the attention would only get worse, which would inturn only make Umi feel worse about the whole thing. Umi was so sensitive it hurt sometimes, even if embarrassment was a good color on her in Kotori’s eyes.

Kotori started looking around for a good distraction and found it immediately. In the distance she spotted Eli standing near the elevators, fidgeting with the cuff of her sweater sleeve, nervously. She raised an eyebrow, wondering why Eli hadn’t approached the rest of the group yet, or why she looked nervous or why she appeared to be dressed up.

Eli had decided to replace her casual clothing with something a little more dressy for her excursion with Nozomi. She’d gone with a pair of khaki slacks that she’d pressed using the hotel iron, a black button down shirt, with a cornflower blue v-neck sweater pulled over the ensemble. Her blonde hair had been kept up in its normal ponytail but she’d chosen a black bow with a small purple accent in it for her hair. Eli was good at making accessories so it wasn’t surprising to Kotori how cute the bow looked.

As Kotori watched for another moment, she saw Eli jump at the sound of the elevator ding and turn around expectantly as the doors opened. But Eli’s face went back to its worrying state as Nico and Maki stepped off the elevator. Maki spoke to Eli in what appeared to be a consoling fashion and even Nico didn’t appear to have her usual bravado towards her fellow third year.

_How odd_ , Kotori thought, but she decided that she would use the appearance of the others as the distraction she needed.

“Hey, look. There are the others,” Kotori said, tugging Umi’s arm without warning, getting her blue haired friend away from Honoka and pulling her mentally out of her lecture. Umi was dragged the few feet toward the other girls and Honoka seemed relieved as she used the distraction also to her advantage.

Eli looked up at the other girls, giving a small wave, and started to head in their direction. But, she was stopped by Nico who pointed at her, seeming to tell her to stay where she was. Eli nodded and resumed her waiting near the Elevator doors, while Nico and Maki headed to rendezvous with the other μ's members.

Rin darted ahead of the other girls, meeting Maki with a forceful hug.

“Oof! R-rin!” Maki exclaimed as she was enveloped in the catgirls arms.

“Nya! Maki-chan!”

“L-let go.” Maki said, as the blush crept onto her face from the public display of her friend’s affections. She heard a light chuckle from her twin-tailed senpai beside her. She glared, lightly at Nico as Rin let her go.

“C’mon, Maki-chan, it’s dinner time! Rin is starving!” Rin exclaimed as she tugged on Maki’s arm.

Nico walked towards the other girls, saying hello, but Umi wasn’t paying attention to any of the others. Her eyes were locked on Eli’s waiting figure across the lobby.

“Why isn’t Eli joining us?” Umi asked, finally drawing everyone’s attention over to their blonde friend.

“Oh, the ruskie is waiting for Nozomi to come down. We should go ahead and go eat,” Nico said, trying to divert attention away from Eli. Maki and her had talked a bit about Eli and Nozomi’s outing and Nico was determined to not let Maki’s efforts go to waste. Anyone with two eyes and enough sense to keep them still breathing could see that those two were in love with each other. Everyone but Nozomi and Eli, at least. So, Nico agreed to help give them a little push and prevent Umi from spoiling their evening by preventing them from going out by themselves.

“Oh, well, shouldn’t we wait for them too?” Rin asked, joining Umi in the confusion, as she let go of Maki.

“N-no, they’ll be fine. We should go eat.” Maki said, ushering Rin back in

“Were we supposed to dress up for dinner? Eli-chan dressed up, was that what we agreed on? Did I forget?” Hanayo asked, suddenly self conscious.

“No, no, you’re dressed fine. We didn’t say we would maybe she just felt..like...it…” Kotori said as she trailed off, a twinkle in her eye, as she watched the scene unfold…

\---

The Elevator bell had dinged once more and the doors slide open. Out stepped Nozomi, dressed up similarly to Eli. But she’d chosen to go with an eggplant skirt decorated with a conservative bow at the waist and a few ruffles down the front. It was simple and unobtrusive and went well with her white button down blouse and blue jacket with black and white polkadotted cuffs. And to round out the ensemble, Nozomi was wearing a pair of her trademark black, thigh-high, cotton stockings that ended just above the hemline of the skirt. They weren’t any different than Nozomi’s normal choice of legwear but Eli found herself noticing them a little more tonight. Eli felt embarrassed and ducked her head slightly as she greeted Nozomi.

“Y-you look nice,” Eli managed to stammer out with a smile.

“So do you, Elichi. Ya clean up well,” Nozomi giggled, stepping near Eli.

Eli couldn’t take her eyes off Nozomi now. Especially since Nozomi had fixed her hair in a long side braid, with a purple ribbon at the end. It was simple, elegant and reminded Eli just how mature Nozomi really was. Eli adored it when Nozomi wore her hair like this.

Unfortunately, Eli realized she’d been staring again. She tried to cover her tracks and act normal again. She rubbed the back of her neck in an attempt to shake off her social awkwardness.

“So, are you ready to go? Got everything you need?” Eli asked as she chuckled and relaxed.

Nozomi smiled a bit brighter at Eli’s relaxed posture. She was looking forward to going out with her friend. Eli did have a point, it had been a while since they had been able to spend some time with just the two of them.

“Yup, I’m all ready to get going,” Nozomi said as she secured the strap of her purse over her shoulder and across her chest. “Lead that way, Elichi, and I’ll follow ya.”

_Just like always,_ Eli thought. _But would she follow if she knew how I felt?_

_No, I won’t think like that tonight. Let’s just have fun._ Eli shook off her thoughts and reached out her hand to Nozomi who took it easily.

“Let’s go, then. We’ll get a snack on the way to the first place,” Eli said, pulling Nozomi along behind her for a moment.

“We aren’t doing dinner first?”

“Nope, we’ll save that for a little later. I wanted to go somewhere first. I hope you don’t mind,” Eli asked, thinking perhaps she had been too forceful in her planning and inconsiderate of Nozomi’s desires.

“No, that’ll be fine. I trust ya. I was just surprised, that’s all,” Nozomi squeezed Eli’s hand in reassurance and Eli smiled at her. “What other surprises do you have in store for me tonight?” Nozomi teasingly asked.

“You’ll see,” Eli winked at her before facing forward again.

_Sometimes Eli didn’t realize how charming she can be,_ thought Nozomi as she blushed. But she fell into step easily beside her friend as they headed for the exit.

\---

Upon the arrival of Nozomi, Maki sprung into action and pulled Umi aside. She needed to distract her and quickly. They hadn’t told her about Nozomi and Eli going out by themselves, yet. And didn’t exactly know the right way to go about it. But it was now or never.

“Hey, Umi, about the chorus in Angelic Angel, I was thinking about this lyric that you wrote and was curious if maybe this would work better…” Maki began, immediately catching the business side of Umi’s attention.

“We can certainly look at it…” Umi responded, easily falling into the conversation distraction.

“Wow! Eli-chan and Nozomi-chan look so pretty!” Hanayo said quietly as the rest of the group watched their Senpai fall into step as they headed for the exterior door of the hotel.

“Nya, Rin thinks so too!” Rin nodded enthusiastically, but then pouted as Eli and Nozomi didn’t join them. Eli’s full attention was wrapped up in Nozomi but Nozomi looked back at the group and gave a little wave as they stepped outside.

“Where are they going? Don’t they want to eat with us, Nya?”

“They are going to do some sightseeing,” Maki responded off handedly, not missing a beat as she returned to her discussion about the lyrics in the song they were working on.

Umi, however, wasn’t about to continue that conversation.

“Rin wants to go too, NYA!” Rin said, but Nico stepped in front of Rin before she could get much further. She shook her head.

“Nope, only Eli and Nozomi get to go,” Nico said, sternly. Rin pouted more, Hanayo patted Rin’s arm in an attempt to comfort her friend.

“But Rin wants to gooooooooo!!!!!”

“Rin-chan, we have our own dinner to eat, it will be okay.” Hanayo said, hugging onto Rin’s arm.

Honoka, however, returned Nozomi’s wave, instinctively. It was Eli and Nozomi after all, they would be fine, of course! Honoka really spent most of her life carefree, at least 99% of the time by any means.

“Bye! Have fun, Eli-chan and Nozomi-chan!” Honoka called after them. Hanayo joined in the motion quietly and so did Rin, sadly. Nico rolled her eyes.

However, these motions caused Umi’s attention to snap over to her exiting friends. The words that Rin, Nico, and Honoka were saying finally sunk in.

“W-wait, what?!” Umi asked diverting her attention from Maki, and looking at the backs of Eli and Nozomi as they left.

“They can’t just go out by themselves, what if something happens?” Umi said, taking a few quick steps towards the door before her sleeve was caught by Kotori’s hand, holding her in place.

“Kotori, What if they get lost? What if they get kidnapped and we never see them again” Umi asked her friend who was holding her in place.

“Umi-chan,” Kotori smiled at her, getting the hint from the looks that Nico and Maki cast after Nozomi and Eli when they were  leaving hint about what was happening. Umi, however, remained clueless as to how important this was. “Maki-chan says they’ll be fine, so they’ll be fine. Don’t worry so much.”

“How can you say not to worry? We are in a city we don’t know well and can’t really speak the language of! We don’t know what will happen to them if they are off by themselves.” Umi said, trying to win over the rest of the group. “We can still bring them back if we go now.”

Umi got herself out of Kotori’s grip and headed for the door. But Nico was quicker than she was and stood blocking her path.

“No, Umi. Leave them be. Nozomi speaks English, they’ll be fine.” Nico crossed her arms and stared down her Kohai.

Umi was taken aback by this. “Aren’t any of you worried? Don’t you have any sense?” Umi exclaimed, looking on the verge of a meltdown.

“Umi, Onegai…” Kotori began but even that didn’t get through to Umi in her current state of mind.

“Umi, you’ve got to calm down or something,” Maki said twirling then end of her hair in her hand. She didn’t like confrontational situations like this, so Maki was, naturally, uncomfortable. “Just let them go out for a while. They’ll be safe. It’s Eli and Nozomi after all. You can count on them to be responsible.”

“Yeah, you sure can, Umi-chan. And they’ve worked so hard already. They can enjoy themselves for a bit. So, no need to worry, Umi. C’mon. Let’s go eat. Everything will be fine,” Honoka said as she patted her friend on the shoulder in a calming, but belittling manner.

“Is all you think about food?” Umi shot back, causing Honoka to recoil from her.

“No, I just thought…” Honoka said.

“No, you don’t think. You just let things happen and sometimes you need to be mindful of things. All of you do. I’m going to go get them and bring them back. Someone has to be responsible.” Umi said as she stalked once more towards the door.

But she was instantly shoved backwards, landing into Kotori, who caught her.

“Nope. Not on my watch. You need to shut up for a change, Umi.” Nico said, looking angry.

“Nico-chan…” whisper Hanayo.

“Kowai…” followed Rin’s voice.

“Nico-chan, you don’t need to push her... “ Maki added, stepping up to Nico, thinking she’d gone too far.

“No, I did, because otherwise she wouldn’t listen to me,” Nico responded, her fists clenched at the sides of her short body. Umi was in shock and couldn’t help but listen to Nico’s words now.

“Listen, Umi, they need this. The two of them need to go out tonight by themselves, okay? Just let them have tonight,” Nico began.

“But why do they need it?” Umi found her voice, yet again. “It is just some frivolous sightseeing. They can do that with the whole group. Heck, we did that earlier today. I don’t see why they need to go out and put themselves in danger. Aren’t you supposed to be our Senpai? Try being responsible for ONCE, Nico. Just because you are short, you don’t have to act so childish about these things.”

Everyone seemed to recoil from the comment. Nico’s head ducked slightly, but her posture was very frightening as she barely peered out from underneath the hair that shadowed her face.

“Umi, you should apologize…” Kotori said quietly to her friend, but of course the blue haired girl didn’t hear her.

“Umi, I think that’s going too far. You don’t even know the situation…” Maki tried, seeing the warning signs of the shift in Nico’s mood.

Hanayo clung tightly to Rin, whispering desperately, “Dare ka tasukete!”

Rin moved them both beyond the blast radius of Nico’s wrath, aka behind Honoka, for protection.

“No.” Nico’s voice stopped them all in their tracks.

“What?” Maki turned away from Umi to face Nico.

“I said, No, she can say what she wants…” Nico clenched and unclenched her fists again before looking directly at Umi. “Are you finished talking or is there more?”

“No,” Umi said calmly, but seethingly. “That’s all. I don’t understand why you’re okay with this.”

Nico was silent for a long minute, her face still hidden by the shadow of her hair. They all thought that she would explode at any minute but when Nico did finally speak, she spoke it was intense and quiet.

“You don’t understand, do you? I am being responsible. I’m being responsible by taking care of my friends. I’m letting them go out and experience something, together,” Nico said, directing her words at Umi in particular, but they rang clearly for everyone nearby.

“I’m not being childish, because I understand exactly what’s at stake, what’s going on. _You_ don’t, Umi. I know exactly why you don’t.”

Umi blinked at the words.

“You are so wrapped up in this unreal possibility of what might happen to them for one night when they are just going to dinner that you don’t realize that that can’t be worse than not getting the opportunity to spend time together.”

Maki watched intently as Nico spilled her feelings.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying…” Umi said. “What do you mean?”

“I’m not surprised you don’t understand. You have a whole other year ahead of you. A whole other year before things really change for you. There is still time for you, and your friends,” Nico indicated Honoka and Kotori. Then, Rin, Hanayo and Maki.

“But _we_ don’t have that luxury. All _we_ have is right now. I…we, all three of us third years,” Nico gestures to herself and where Eli and Nozomi just left. “We don’t have any more time. This is all we have left. It isn’t any of your business what they do or don’t do. You let them spend the remaining time they have however they damn well please.”

Maki was the closest to where Nico stood and could tell that Nico was now shaking slightly as the words poured from.

“But what if---” Umi tried again.

“What if, nothing. The chances of something happening are very low,” Nico said harshly. “And besides, Eli is the most reliable and responsible person I know. Nozomi, despite her weird personality, comes in a very close second. And think of everything they’ve done for us, for μ's, they work tirelessly for everyone.”

“I know that…” Umi murmured.

“Well, perhaps you should also think about this,” Nico said, somewhat more calm, but just barely. Her rage was turning into distress for all the things that she too would lose upon graduation. “Eli and Nozomi spend all of their free time with us. Practicing, coming up with dance moves, helping with costumes and accessories and also helping each of us with personal problems. They always make sure their performances are perfect for the rest of us. And then they have no time at the end of the day. I know for a fact that those two crazies haven’t eaten a parfait together for a whole month. A WHOLE MONTH. They’ve been too busy. And when Eli leaves practice she has to go home to take care of Alisa while her parents are between here and whatever thing they do for the russian mafia abroad.” Nico hmphs. “Not to mention Nozomi going home, exhausted, to an empty house because her parents value their jobs more than they do their only child. So, I can’t imagine things are pleasant for her when she isn’t at practice.”

“I forgot about that…” Umi said, shamefully.

“I know you did. Sometimes we forget because Nozomi doesn’t let it get in the way of everything else. But it is what it is. Before μ's came along, it was just her and Eli. Eli’s the one who balances her out and without that friendship she tends to lose her way a little bit. She isn’t the same, even if she pretends to be. So, tonight, is for her. And Eli.”

Nico looks out towards the street through the glass doors of the hotel. “They need each other more than ever now. Because things are about to change. University is coming. We won’t be high schoolers anymore and we won’t be together all of the time. It is an unfortunate side effect of growing up. And I know for a fact that those two are afraid of losing each other in that transition. So, it’s our job to support them and let them go out together tonight.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think about that…” Umi said, her seething rage now completely extinguished and replaced with a sadness that she didn’t realize she was holding inside her.

Umi had tried her best not to think about the changes that would befall their friend group when the three senpai graduated. Even if they had already talked about μ's disbanding upon graduation, it was still hard to contemplate. And the fact that she had no chill over this current situation didn’t help her self loathing over the matter.

“Well, now you have,” Nico said, turning her back on the group, crossing her arms. Maki was the only one who could see that Nico was holding back tears. Her voice was wavering.

“So, please, don’t make a big fuss out of it anymore, because in the end it will be fine. Eli has the hotel number and a map. She prepared as best she could. She’s not all useless.” Nico laughed dryly here. “Just give them this one night to be together and be happy. It’s the least we can give them before they leave.”

Umi was out of words for the situation. So, she conceded silently and nodded, looking down at her feet in shame. Kotori reached out and intertwined her fingers with Umi’s own.

Umi looked to Kotori, who gave her a reassuring smile. Kotori always had a way of making it seem like things would be alright. Umi quietly thanked her, as Kotori pulled her towards the restaurant so they could finally have dinner. Honoka followed her friends, knowing that things would turn out okay in the end. And there was still bread to be had, despite the drama. She patted Umi on the back as she passed and asked the waiter for a table for seven.

“Couldn’t we have gone too, though?” Rin asked to no one in particular as things settled down. Nico wasn’t talking anymore, so she felt it was safe now. “We’re all friends and we love them too.”

Maki tore her gaze away from the extremely silent Nico and looked at RIn. She stepped towards Rin, speaking simply so that the other could understand. “Look at it this way, Rin. Sometimes we just want to only spend time with the person we’re closest too. In order to...uh, enjoy that special bond. Understand?”

“Kind of…” Rin admits.

“Think of it like this: do you ever just want to hang out with only Hanayo and have her all to yourself?” Maki asked, making a clear comparison for her cat mannered friend.

Beside Rin, Hanayo blushed.

“Yep! Rin loves it when she gets to spend time with Kayo-chin! It’s her favorite.” Rin smiles.

“It’s just like that for Nozomi and Eli. We need to let them have that time.” Maki summed up.

“Oooooh. Okay, Nya! Rin knows now.” Rin nodded and took Hanayo’s hand, dragging her towards the restaurant. Her mood was improved ten fold now that she understood. “C’mon, Kayo-chin, I’ll ask the waiter if they’ll make you some special rice just for you since you don’t want bread. I’m sure they’ll make you some.”

Hanayo smiled at Rin, but stopped as briefly to look back at Nico who was still eerily quiet. Maki noticed her worried gaze and waved her off, gently.

“I’ll take care of her,” Maki said quietly to Hanayo. “Go on. We’ll catch up.”

Hanayo smiled softly to Maki and nodded, before heading off with Rin to dinner.

Meanwhile, Maki was quietly approaching Nico from behind. She could now tell that Nico was silently and stoically crying. Maki’s heart softened as she neared her black haired senpai. She didn’t really have the emotional development to fully understand what Nico was feeling. She wasn’t exactly great with her own feelings, but she knew that she needed to do something to help quiet the sadness within Nico.

So, in the end, Maki stood next to Nico and held her hand as she cried, letting her know that she was there. Slowly, Nico’s tears subsided, Maki’s presence helping to quell the overwhelming force of emotion that she was feeling at the seeming loss of everything that she knew and the opening up of a very scary new world. Her words weren’t just for Nozomi and Eli, they were laced with her fears too. And she couldn’t help them from pouring out once she had gotten started.

_Stupid Umi,_ Nico thought to herself. She sniffled a bit and then quieted as she leaned against Maki for comfort.

Maki stiffened at the contact at first but quickly relaxed. She leaned her head atop Nico’s for the moment.

“You aren’t alone, Nico-chan,” Maki said quietly. “I hope you know that.”

Nico nodded a little and sniffed again. “I just get scared sometimes. I’ve always felt like the mascot in our group, no matter what I seem to act like. I’m no star, pretty forgettable, what kind of a future is there for me…”

Nico’s sentence was cut off as Maki turned and enveloped her in a tight hug.

“Don’t talk like that, you hear me?” Maki said, clinging tightly to Nico. “You’re not a mascot, you’re important.”

“Ha, no I’m not. I’m just loud and bossy. That’s all.” Nico admitted her worse fears aloud. “I have no tale---”

What happened next caught Nico completely off guard as Nico found her chin lifted upwards and Maki’s lips came down to meet her own.

The kiss was warm, loving and everything that Nico didn’t think she deserved. Maki poured a lot of her unsaid feelings into the kiss. She might have not been great with words all the time but if she could express it some other way, like music, she’d get it across to those around her. This, fortunately, was one way to do so, especially with Nico.

When they broke they kiss, Nico was the one who was stunned. Maki took the chance to smile softly at her and tell her exactly what was on her mind.

“That is no way for the Number One Idol in the Galaxy to talk about herself. You’re wonderful and talented. Otherwise, someone like me wouldn’t love you. Got it?” Maki said, in her Maki-like way.

Nico only nodded. Maki smiled.

“Ready to join the others?” Maki asked her.

“Maybe…” Nico answered looking down.

“Need another minute?”

“No,” Nico shook her head.

“Then wha---”

Maki was the one caught off guard this time as Nico stole a kiss of her own. It was slow but playful. Playful like Nico’s normal personality. And somewhat sweet. Maki smiled into the kiss before it ended.

“I just needed one more kiss for the road,” Nico grinned, but her face was still red from the blush that had crept across it.

Maki chuckled and then broke apart. Nico smiled even bigger, flashing Maki her signature Nico-Nii sign.

Maki smiled at her senpai, no friend, no...girlfriend? She sighed. They would need to talk about it later, but for now they needed to eat. At least Nico was feeling better.

So, together they walked towards the restaurant, separating their hands from one another’s only when they came in sight of the table where the others were sitting.

Kotori at them, a bit too knowingly and it creeped Nico out a little as she slid into the booth. Umi glanced over at Kotori and raised an eyebrow.

“What is it, Kotori?” Umi asked, bewildered once more by Kotori’s actions.

“Oh, nothing. I’m just happy..” Kotori beamed at her as though she won a valuable prize. She’d been watching Nico and Maki through the plants behind their table and had seen the interaction and the kiss...well, kisses. And she was ecstatic as she settled into her seat, knife and fork in hand as she eyed the whole cheesecake in front of her.

“Oh, that’s good. Did something in particular make you happy?” Umi asked, looking warily at the cheesecake that was about to be a goner.

“Mhm. I’m here with all of my friends!” Kotori exclaimed and Umi smiled and settled into her seat, preparing to eat her simple meal beside her.

“And one of my ships came in!” Kotori said before taking a large bit of cheesecake.

Umi looked confused. “Your what?”

But Kotori wasn’t about to expound upon it. It would be better to let Umi figure these things out on her own.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter. Just remember, things get worse before the get better. Also, Eli is a useless lesbian with terrible luck sometimes. 
> 
> Enjoy!

\---

Nozomi and Eli walked down the sidewalk, side by side, as they headed towards the first stop on Eli’s carefully planned outing. Nozomi had let her gaze wander slightly as they walked, looking at the buildings above them and taking in the smattering of Art Deco style that had mixed itself into the more modern American architecture. Looking back at Eli for a moment, Nozomi smiled at the look of concentration that her friend possessed as she attempted to navigate the unfamiliar setting. 

The two girls walked for a few blocks before they stopped on a street corner and Eli got her bearings.

“I think it is this way…” Eli murmured aloud as she pulled out a piece of paper with her handwriting on it to cross reference the address.

“What big plans does Elichi have for tonight?” Nozomi inquired, as she took the opportunity to try and peer over Eli’s shoulder at the little piece of paper. She was hoping to get a small hint at what Eli had planned for their evening. 

Eli, however, was quick to react and moved the piece of paper out of Nozomi’s line of sight. 

“Uh-uh,” Eli said, grinning at her friend. “No peeking.”

“Mou, Elichi is no fun. Keeping secrets from me…” Nozomi pretend to pout. 

“Oh, no, I’m not falling for that one.” Eli used her finger and poked Nozomi on the nose, 

causing the purple haired girl to crinkle her face in response.  Eli just laughed, slipping the piece of paper back into its hiding spot in her pocket. 

“C’mon, tell me where we’re going. At least the first stop…” Nozomi looked around. “Are we almost there? Or is Elichi lost….” Nozomi teased. 

Eli, of course, replied defensively. 

“I am not lost! I know exactly where I am.” She hrmphed. “We’re almost there, in fact.”

Nozomi giggled at the reaction. It was precisely what she was going for. 

“I’m glad ya aren’t lost, then,” Nozomi smirked victoriously. 

“Nozomi…” Eli mumbled realizing that her friend was just baiting her, as usual. 

Nozomi just giggled more. 

“As to where we are going, I already told you we are going to get a snack to tide us over until dinner,” Eli calmly explained, as she and Nozomi began to cross the street.

“Oh, right, what kind of snack did you have in mind?” Nozomi asked happily, as she kept pace while walking backwards .

“Well, I know that there are some---” Eli began but was unable to finish her thought as she watched the sudden change in the oncoming traffic. The screeching of tires met Eli’s ears as a taxi swerved around another car, attempting to make its way through the intersection. Nozomi, however, hadn’t seen what was happening, quickly enough.

Reacting on pure instinct, Eli wrapped her arms around Nozomi and pulled her out of the way, the two girls narrowly missing being clipped by the front of the yellow car. 

Eli’s body hit the ground first, rolling them out of the way and protecting Nozomi in the process. 

“Get out of the road, you stupid broads!” The taxi driver screamed out of his open window as he honked the car’s horn at them as if it had been their fault.

Eli’s rage flared inside her at the carelessness of American drivers, but it was halted as she gazed up into Nozomi’s worried eyes as she she scanned Eli for any sign of injury.

“Elichi, are you okay? Are you hurt?” Nozomi frantically asked she laid atop of Eli, thinking little of their predicament or how close they were; Nozomi’s face was mere inches from Eli’s own. 

Unfortunately for Eli, she was well aware of the lack of distance between them.

“N-no, I’m fine, just a little shocked…” Eli said as she turned her head to look around and saw that they were starting to attract a crowd. 

Nozomi, however, only had eyes for Eli, and she didn’t appear to notice the people. At least they had landed on the sidewalk and weren’t still in the middle of the street. 

“Are you sure, perhaps we should head back?” Nozomi asked, still not moving.

“No, I’m good, just...um…maybe, fix...your...um blouse...” Eli’s eyes flickered down, catching more than an eyeful of Nozomi’s cleavage from this angle. Nozomi had apparently chosen to wear a purple bra today…

Eli’s eyes darted away, looking at anything else she could find. Nozomi looked on in confusion as Eli spoke, then glanced down to see herself exposed; her blouse was dipping far to low at this angle. Nozomi pulled back in embarrassment, covering her chest with her arm before fixing her shirt. 

“We should probably stand up…” Nozomi murmured as she got to her feet, adjusting her clothing in the process, before reaching a hand out to Eli, who gingerly got to her feet once more. 

Luckily for both of them, their clothing appeared to still look fine, and they didn’t need to head back to the hotel.  Eli slowly stretched her limbs, finding that the fall handing done much damage after all. She’d only sustained a bit of soreness from the impact of the fall and a scuff to the leg of her pants. Both would go away with some laundering and a little bit of time. 

Nozomi seemed relieved to find that her friend wasn’t hurt, but tears gathered at the corner of her eyes, nonetheless. 

“Stupid, Elichi, don’t put yourself at risk like that!” Nozomi scolded her friend as she helped brush the dirt of of Eli’s clothing.  

The crowd began to wander away as soon as they realized the two girls would be alright.

“I’m fine. And besides, you would’ve reacted too late,” Eli admitted quietly, as she watched Nozomi fuss over her. “I really didn’t have much of a choice. What was I supposed to do, let you get hurt?”

Nozomi shook her head, understanding, but no less frustrated that Eli had almost gotten hurt. “No, ya wouldn’t let me get hurt..” she murmured. 

Eli grabbed onto Nozomi’s hand, squeezing it, effectively bringing the other girl out of her thoughts. “I’m fine. Don’t worry.” She assured Nozomi. 

“Now, let’s get going. There is still much to see…” Eli tugged Nozomi’s hand in the direction they needed to go. “If you’re still with me?” 

Nozomi nodded, finally looking up at Eli. “I’m with ya the whole way.” Nozomi smiled, and the two girls began walking once more. 

“Good, because for our snack we’re going to find this food cart that the hotel concierge told me about when I asked about fun places nearby. It’s a japanese fushion cart so I thought it would be a nice mix of home and here.” 

Eli smiled, and Nozomi beamed back at her as she followed behind her on side street. 

“Mmm. Sounds good, Elichi. And after that?” Nozomi asked.

“Still a surprise. But I think you’ll enjoy it,” Eli squeezed Nozomi’s hand one last time before the two fell into an amicable silence.    

And as the two of them made their way of towards the aforementioned food cat, Eli couldn’t stop herself from thinking that almost getting hit by a car was a really bad sign.

_ That better not be an indicator of how this night is gonna go,  _ Eli hoped as the two girls continued towards their destination.

Unfortunately for Eli, the incident with the taxicab proved to be exactly the omen she had feared. 

The street food that had been recommended by the concierge turned out to be a much longer walk than Eli had anticipated. And then, when they got there, the food turned out to be really not very good. Nozomi and Eli could tell that the person really knew nothing about Japanese cuisine. The spices were not quite what they were used to and when blended with the more american flare fusion approached it fell flat. 

But Nozomi and Eli had tried to be polite about the food, sitting near the cart at a small table that had been set up as they struggled to finish the kabob between them. 

But what made the experience a really poor one turned out to be the creepy assistant who was helping run the food cart. 

The man was at least twice their age and had been leering at Nozomi the entire time. Eli felt her skin crawl as he approached them at their table and struck up a conversation with the two girls. Eli didn’t say much other than a few curt words, but Nozomi was her usual polite self. Eli wondered why she would tolerate such a person who was so obviously taking advantage of the situation and being disgusting despite the fact that he was still at work.  

Nozomi, of course, was disinterested in talking to the man, but they wouldn’t be there very long. So, she offered a few small words back to him as she finished her half of the snack. But, the man took her politeness to mean interest and he took a seat next to her. Nozomi glanced over at Eli, watching the blonde seethe as the man continued to invade. Jealous, perhaps, but mostly intolerance for such behavior. It was rude, Nozomi conceded, so she tried to be more clear, hinting that that she and Eli needed to leave soon. 

_ It was never like this at Otonokizaka _ , Eli thought to herself as she ripped the last piece off the kabob with her teeth, as viciously as she could manage. 

Nozomi laughed out loud at this but the man didn’t find it so funny. He side-eyed Eli and began scooting closer to where Nozomi was sitting. And then he did the unthinkable and crossed the final line, he placed his grubby hand on Nozomi’s arm. 

“It doesn’t seem like your friend likes me much, ey, toots? Why don’t you meet me after I get off work in an hour? I could show you a good time…” He said, lecherously. 

Nozomi recoiled slightly and was about to rebuke him and reject him, but she didn’t get the chance to act, because beside her, Eli had just seen red and abruptly stood up. The chair made a violent noise against the pavement as she started yelling at the man in russian. 

Nozomi wasn’t sure what Eli was saying but she knew it wasn’t good. And in the next moment, Nozomi was being pulled up and away by her arm, Eli’s hand clasped firmly around her wrist. It wasn’t until the two girls were a block away that Nozomi said anything. But Eli didn’t hear her through her rage and was dragging Nozomi behind her rather forcefully. It took several tries before Eli finally heard Nozomi calling her name. 

“...ELI!” Nozomi tried for the umpteenth time. “You’re hurting my wrist.”

Eli came to a screeching halt and instantly let go of Nozomi’s wrist. She turn back around and face Nozomi before the two of them stepped off to the side of walkway so they wouldn’t get run over by the other pedestrians. She stood with her back against the building, hanging her head in shame.

“I’m sorry..” Eli said quietly to Nozomi as she tried to purge the remaining anger from her body. “He just...he was rude. Not taking the hint and then...touching you…”

Nozomi rubbed her wrist lightly as she listened to Eli.

“It’s okay. You just didn’t have to be so violent with him. His break was almost up anyhow. He would have gone away. I can handle myself, too, you know? This isn’t the first time a man has hit on me.” Nozomi spoke in a calm voice. She didn’t care about the man or his behavior. He was like a million other people in the world who didn’t know boundaries. But what she did care about was how angry Eli had gotten.

“Besides, I’m fine. But are you going to be? That was a lot of anger. I don’t think I’ve seen you that angry before...” Nozomi placed a hand on Eli’s shoulder. The blonde looked over at her friend, and there was definitely some emotion behind Eli’s eyes that Nozomi couldn’t place. Eli closed her eyes for a moment, trying to empty her body of of her negative feelings. It hadn’t been Nozomi’s fault. There was no reason for her to take any of this out on Nozomi. 

Eventually, she softened her expression and opened her eyes once more.

“Yeah...yeah, I’m good now. Sorry about that...and your wrist. At least we are away from  _ him _ , so it is all fine now. I didn’t like him touching you..” Eli admitted.

_ It was her wanting to protect me, _ thought Nozomi with a smile.

She supposed that was natural, they were both friends after all and they’ve been together through a lot. Eli naturally protected the things that she cared about. Nozomi always saw something similar when Eli was dealing with Alisa and new experiences for the younger Ayase. The other emotion that Nozomi had seen in Eli’s eyes had been a tinge of love. But it had probably been love for a friend, nothing more. Nozomi still didn’t think it could possible be anything more than that.

“I’m fine, Eli. No harm done really. But it’s nice to know that you care so much. You’re very dashing when you go into white knight mode, ya know?” Nozomi tried to tease Eli to lift the mood. 

Eli blushed, and turned away. “I-it was nothing.”

Nozomi giggled and Eli deflected by pulling out her list out of her pocket to the address of the place of the next place. She hoped it would be more successful than the food cart.

Eli turned her head a few times, looking for the subway entrance they needed to find. Luckily it wasn’t that far away from where they stood.

“Ok, we need to go underground and take the train to our next stop,” Eli said, pressing forward with her plans, looking back to Nozomi once more. “Ready to go?”

Nozomi nodded and the two headed for the subway station.

\---

“It’s just up this way,” Eli said, now smiling as she walked excitedly, Nozomi right by her as they made their way through the upscale neighborhood filled with expensive townhouses and light colors. The sidewalks here were smooth and uncrowded. It was definitely a nice change from the middle of the city and it put Eli in a much better mood.

“The Museum should be just up ahead. We were gonna come here with the others but there wasn’t a whole lot of time, right?” Eli asked.

Nozomi nodded and smiled. The night was pleasantly cool as they walked. There were even a few stars she could see if she looked up at the sky in just the right way. She had to admit that this was turning out to be a pleasant night. She was happy to be out with Eli and that made her smile even brighter.

“It’s true. I thought we wouldn’t get a chance to go. But this will be great!”

“Which exhibit would you like to see first, Nozomi? I think there’s photography exhibit that you’d like,” Eli said, as the two reached the stairs out front of the MET and began climbing them, steadily. 

“That would be neat. Hmm, as for the others, I don’t know...I’ve heard that they have this exhibit about asian cultures. There is also a huge exhibit on Egypt which could be fun. The ancient Egyptians had their own kind of magic, so I imagine that will be very fascinating.” Nozomi mused aloud as she jumped up a few steps at a time. 

Eli laughed at her friend’s antics and within moments they found themselves at the top of the stairs, the doors to the museum just a few yards in front of them. 

Nozomi looked around, seeing that only a handful of people were outside at the moment. This seemed strange as it didn’t seem like there were as many people as she thought there should be. Though it was getting pretty late. 

Eli reached the door handle and gripped it, moving to pull it open, only to find it wouldn’t open. She tugged on it once more, but it wasn’t opening.

Eli felt the dread fall over her as Nozomi peered at the sign next to the door. Eli’s face feel as Nozomi read the sign aloud, translating the sign into English.

_ “We’re sorry for the inconvenience but the museum will be closing early today. Please come back and see us next time.” _

Eli felt like crying, but Nozomi just patted her on the back. The blonde was at a lost for words and felt like her plans were crumbling.

“It just wasn’t in the cards, I guess,” Nozomi said as they moved away from the doors and towards the direction of the fountain. The sky was getting darker now.

Eli didn’t say anything but pulled out her list looking over a few things.

Nozomi observed the very concentrated and determined look on Eli’s face as she tried to figure out where the next activity would be. Eli was so distracted that Nozomi finally got a peek at the list, which was much longer than she had guessed it would be. There was no way that the two of them would make it around the city to all of those things. Eli, of course, had been a bit overambitious in her planning. Nozomi smiled at the thought of her friend working so hard, but perhaps they could still salvage the night by just having a nice dinner. She placed her hand on Eli’s arm to get her attention.

“Maybe we should just go get dinner, now. It’s getting late, after all, and that kabob really wasn’t much of a snack,” Nozomi suggested. 

Eli’s brows furrowed in thought as she considered the option. She looked back down at her list before looking back at Nozomi. She seemed unsure, so Nozomi spoke again.

“I think that it would be nicer sitting down than wandering around, anyhow. If there is time after dinner we can hit a few of the other places. How about that?” She smiled at Eli.

Eli reluctantly nodded. “Ok, let’s do that. I’ve got a place picked out that isn’t too terribly far from here.”

“Good, then let’s go, then Elichi can stop looking so serious,” Nozomi commented as she poked the stress line that was developing between Eli’s eyebrows. She giggled at the instant reaction of Eli’s facial expression softening.

“There. Much better,” Nozomi beamed at her and Eli responded with a small smile of her own. 

“Definitely. Alright, let’s follow your suggestion. We need to head this way. Food, here we come.” Eli gestured in the direction they needed to go.

\---

Eli hadn’t felt this frustrated and disappointed in a long time. Everything she had planned had somehow gone extremely sideways in such a short amount of time. Things hadn’t gotten much better on their way to the restaurant that Eli had picked out. From everything that Eli had found online, the restaurant was french in origin and the reviews had said that the place served quality food in a very nice atmosphere, so she had chosen the place in order to make Nozomi feel...well, special. It was really all she had wanted for their non-date, date.

But nothing seemed to be working in Eli’s favor. 

No, tonight seemed to have other plans for the two as Eli and Nozomi found themselves seated in little, hole-in-the-wall italian restaurant that Nozomi had spotted as the two walked past on their mission to find Eli’s chosen restaurant. After discovering that Eli’s first choice had been closed down about a month ago, Nozomi suggested the place and Eli had little fight left in her so they backtracked as Eli crumpled her list in her pocket in an effort to let out her frustrations.

\---

So, there Eli sat feeling like a planning failure and half gazing at the menu. Across from her, Nozomi seemed entirely focused on the menu as if the turn of events of the evening hadn’t taken away from her cheerfulness regarding it. Eli watched her a little and wondered if it was just another one of Nozomi’s masks that she put up. Was she trying to make Eli feel better by pretending Eli hadn’t ruined the evening? Or was she just hiding everything now. Eli didn’t know. She just clutched the sides of her menu a little too tightly as she got lost in her own thoughts as Nozomi cheerfully thumbed through the menu, doing her best to ignore the cloud of gloom that Eli had decided to sit under.

Nozomi glanced up at Eli seeing her friend still caught up in what had occurred. She only hoped that she could relax over dinner.

Nozomi tapped Eli’s menu with her own, bringing the blonde’s gaze up to meet her own. Nozomi smiled at her.

“Do you know what you want, yet, Elichi?” Nozomi asked, keeping the topic light.

Eli shook her head, setting the menu down with a sigh. 

“No, I can’t read most of the menu. What are you getting?” Eli asked. 

“Well, I think the carpaccio looks tasty, do you wanna get it as an appetizer to split with me?” Nozomi asked looking back at her menu.

“That’s fine, whatever you want to get.” Eli shrugged.

Nozomi’s smile didn’t falter at Eli’s lackluster response, but she felt bad for her friend. She went back to looking at the menu. “Well, I can translate the menu for you, you know, Elichi. I think that I may go with some simple pasta, it sounds pretty good, fresh too. What are you in the mood for?” Nozomi asked.

“You pick. Surprise me.” Eli said, taking a drink of her water. 

“So, I should ask the waiter if they have any Nori or pickled plums in the back, right.” Nozomi said, feigning seriousness. She knew Eli wasn’t really listening.

“Yeah, that sounds fine---hey wait, what? Do the italians even use Nori,” Eli picked up the menu, making sour face as she scoured the menu for the foul ingredients. 

Nozomi burst out laughing and Eli pouted realizing she was being made fun of.

“You should have seen the look on your face, Elichi!”

“Mou...Nozomi, that wasn’t funny.”

“Yes, it was. You really are gullible sometimes. You know about foreign cuisine, why would they have Nori here, of all places? Or pickled plums? It isn’t a sushi bar.” Nozomi chuckled, leaning onto her hands as she propped her elbows on the table, looking at Eli with her signature mischievous smile.  

“I-I know that,” Eli said, indignantly, trying to preserve at least a little of her pride. “I just wasn’t listening properly.”

“Well, maybe you should start paying attention to me more, then. Instead of being a grump over there…” Nozomi added, but without judgement.

Eli slumped in her seat. “I am being bad, huh?” 

Nozomi nodded before going back to her menu. 

“Sorry...again...this evening just isn’t going how I thought it would.” Eli admitted, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

“Sometimes plans don’t work out they way you think, though. And that’s okay. I thought that being my friend for this long would have at least taught you that much. You’ve got to go with the flow of things and in my case let the cards take you where they will,” Nozomi laughed a bit. “You should just try and enjoy yourself as much as you can regardless. That’s at least what I try to do, despite what’s happening around me.”

_ Perhaps that is why you hide your real emotions. Are you trying not to be a burden with how you really feel?, _ Eli thought before she could stop herself.  _ You’re just pretending, aren’t you? Even now. She could be hating this entire thing and she’d probably never let me know. _ That thought made Eli feel pretty sad. But was it true?

“How about we order two dishes and share?” Nozomi offered, bringing Eli out of her thoughts. She gestured to the menu.

“Sure, go ahead and order,” Eli said, right as the waiter walked up to their table, greeting them with his heavily accented English. Nozomi responded in kind, ordering the carpaccio for their antipasto and following up with two other dishes that Eli didn’t know the names of. 

The waiter smiled in satisfaction before hurrying off to put their order in.

As the two sat there, Eli couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. She wanted to talk to Nozomi, to get her to open up but how would she go about it. She watched Nozomi sip at her water before glancing over and out the window watching the people go by on the sidewalk. The smile on her face was light and relaxed which caused Eli to relax a bit too. 

Perhaps now was the time to bring it up. Eli could tell that it was a genuine smile, so maybe that would lend itself to the conversation.

“Hey, Nozomi.” 

Nozomi turned back to Eli with a questioning look. 

“I’m really sorry things didn’t go right earlier. I tried to plan and it sort of failed but I hope that hasn’t made the evening a total bust. I just really wanted things to be perfect and I kind of failed at that, didn’t I?” Eli uttered a self deprecating laugh. 

“No, you didn’t fail. It wasn’t your fault,” Nozomi shrugged. “I wouldn’t let it get to you. Dinner looks like it will be good, even if it isn’t what you had planned on.”

Eli nodded as she took another drink of water.

“Eli, tell me something, though. Why are you putting so much pressure on tonight? We are together so isn’t that enough to make it fun?” Nozomi grinned at her trying to make her feel at ease.

Nozomi desperately wanted to make her friend feel better, she hated seeing her so openly down about things that weren’t in her control.

“I do enjoy being out with you. It feels nice after so long. But I admit that I wanted time away from the others for a bit,” Eli commented.

“Why’s that?” Nozomi asked, settling in. “Something on your mind?” 

“Yeah, sort of,” Eli fidgeted as Nozomi looked on.

“Well, what is it?” Nozomi asked, reaching into her pocket. “You want a card reading too? The cards are good advisers.”

“No, I just want to talk,” Eli shook her head and Nozomi left the cards in her pocket.

“Ok, then let’s talk,” Nozomi agreed.

The waiter came back and placed a plate containing thinly sliced raw beef, arugula, parmesan cheese and olive oil in front of the two girls. He smiled at them and added a small plate of sliced lemon and two individual plates for Eli and Nozomi to use. 

Nozomi thanked the waiter as he left, and then picked up a slice of the lemon and squeezed it over the top of the carpaccio. 

“So?” Nozomi asked, wiping her hands on her napkin and dishing out some of the carpaccio for both Eli and herself.

“Well…” Eli poked at her serving of food. “It’s about you, really.” 

Nozomi halted her jaw mid chew, caught off guard. Eli was looking directly at her now as she recovered and finishing her bite of what was supposed to be very delicious carpaccio. But it’s flavor seemed dulled with the unexpected turn of conversation.

“Me? Why me?” Nozomi tested. “Don’t you think this carpaccio is delicious? Just the right amount of tangy and savory.”

Eli, who had taken a bite during the lull, appeared to agree. “Yes, it is very tasty. Have you had it before?”

Nozomi nodded. 

“You’ve experienced so many more things than me. But I never find out about those things unless I get lucky. Like now,” Eli commented.

“I don’t know what you mean, Elichi. If you want to know something about me you just have to ask. It’s not like I hide anything from you,” Nozomi downplayed her inner feelings with a smirk.

“That’s part of what I wanted to talk to you about…” Eli said, then finishing another bite of arugula.  

Nozomi didn’t say anything, so Eli continued.

“Ok. Well, when the group got back to the hotel this afternoon I noticed something off..about you. You were smiling but it didn’t really feel like it was genuine.”

“I’m not sure what you mean, Elichi. Smiles are smiles,” Nozomi retorted.

“Hmm..” Eli hummed in disagreement as she took another bite. It didn’t seem like this would be an easy conversation. Nozomi also continued eating as the silence between them stretched out.

“I’m not the only one that notices it, Nozomi,” Eli tried again. “The others notice it. The distance that you put between you and them.”

“That’s silly, I don’t put distance between me and th--” Nozomi defended, feeling a bit attacked.

“Nozomi,” Eli said sternly. She didn’t want Nozomi dodging this. “You may not think you do but you do. You downplay things that bother you and you create a gap. Sometimes it isn’t noticeable, especially since we joined μ's and have been hanging out with the other girls. But you do still do it.”

“Elichi,” Nozomi said. “I don’t do that. I love everyone in μ's, why would I want to distance myself from the people that are my friends or that I care about? You’re my family.”

“I don’t know, honestly. Perhaps it is to protect yourself,” Eli shrugged. “But you’ve always done it. Even with me. I’m never certain that I’m the closest person to you. We’ve been together for the last few years but sometimes I’m not sure that you’re honest with me.”

Nozomi blinked, setting down her fork. “Elichi, do you think I’m lying to you right now?”

“No, I think lying is a big word, I just think that you aren’t being honest with me.” 

“Why would you think that I wasn’t being honest with you? Have I done something?” 

“Well, Maki and I were talking earlier…” 

“You were talking to Maki about me?” Nozomi looked taken aback. 

“No, well, yes. She brought it up, really. I was just sitting there, trying to think about how to talk to you. She just allowed me to voice my thoughts out loud. I was worried, ok?” Eli said, trying to ease the tension that was piling up between them.

“Eli, why didn’t you just ask me if you thought something was wrong?” 

“Because I knew that you’d just tell me nothing was wrong. But I know that something is wrong. Even Maki has seen it and I think you wouldn't admit it outright. Especially if everyone else were around. You’re so used to being the quiet one, or being on your own that you never let anyone know what you’re truly thinking.”

“That’s not true, I do let y---” Nozomi tried again, as she felt her appetite wane further as a tidal wave of emotion was building inside of her. But she wouldn’t crack, what would be the point?

“Ok, then. Tell me because now I’m asking,” Eli tried more forcefully. “Are you upset that I’ve been busy? Are you mad at me?”

“No, I’m not mad at you,” Nozomi said simply. 

“See, that right there. It’s not the whole truth,” Eli pointed out. “I know it isn’t. C’mon, Nozomi, tell me what you are hiding. Are you sad, did something happen? W-why won’t you just tell me without me having to pry it out of you? Aren’t you my friend?” 

Eli felt her frustration from the entire night boil to the surface. Unlike Nozomi, Eli’s emotions came quickly and powerfully. It was something she hated about herself.

“Yes, I am your friend, but you’re supposed to be mine to. You’re supposed to understand and accept me, aren’t you? So, why are you pressuring me into telling you something is wrong when it isn’t?” Nozomi snapped. 

Eli knew that she’d pressed too far, because Nozomi rarely, if ever, got angry at anything. But they were too far in now, and at least she was showing some real emotion now; the mask was beginning to crumble. 

“Because something IS wrong and I haven’t noticed because I’m an idiot!” Eli said as she pounded the table with her hand. She instantly regretted it as the table nearby eyed them. She looked at them apologetically but didn’t take long to do so as she refocused on Nozomi, whose eyes had lost a certain amount of focus on the present. 

“Eli, did you bring me here to just yell at me?” Nozomi asked, quietly. She suddenly had the urge to leave the restaurant, but they hadn’t paid yet.

“No, I brought you here because Maki thought it would do us good to talk on our own. And to spend some time together.”

“And here I thought tonight was all your idea…” scoffed Nozomi, callously. 

“Well, it became my idea. I wanted to, it didn’t change that fact, and then I did the planning,” Eli rebuffed. The way Nozomi was speaking ruffled her feathers. “I always want to spend time with you but everything has been so busy.”

“..so you keep saying...it’s starting to sound like an excuse…”

“It’s not.”

“Sounds like it.” Nozomi said, eyeing the blonde across from her. If Eli thought Nozomi was distant before it was nothing like she was now. Nozomi was shutting down all of her feelings. This conversation was only making things worse.

Eli sighed. “Look, I’m not trying to make you mad.” Eli tried once more, this time more calmly. “But I know you’ve been hurting. Like I said, I can see it behind your eyes when I look at you. So, please, just tell me what it is so that I can help?” 

Eli felt like she was pleading now, but Nozomi wasn’t giving off any signs of giving in. She’d been backed into a corner and she generally only responded in one way.

Something inside Nozomi was screaming for her to just open up and be fully honest. To tell Eli that it was because she was hiding her love for her that she felt alone and distant. That the only thing that she wanted in the world was confess and have Eli return her feelings. That she didn’t want to be alone after high school. That she didn’t want to separate from everyone and everything she loved just because society was dead set on sending them into the ‘real world’ an place them onto the lonely path of being adults, with full time jobs, unpassionate moments of monotony and bill paying, and acting like the way society expected you to act. No, that would be far too much to voice. It would be like all of the loneliness that Nozomi had accumulated over her entire, short, life would come pouring out all at once if she admitted it right now. She didn’t feel ready. She felt scared. She only knew how to do one thing when she was scared.

“Aside from the fact that you’re giving me the third degree, I’m fine, Eli _ chi _ .” Nozomi said firmly, emphasizing the last part of the Eli’s nickname. It was petty, Nozomi knew it, but right now she didn’t feel like continuing this conversation.

“Liar.” Eli said, getting irritated. 

Nozomi blinked. “What?”

“I said you’re a liar.” Eli repeated herself.

“Well, that’s rude.” Nozomi huffed and placed her napkin on the table.

“It’s the truth. You are lying to me. I can tell. You think I  _ can’t _ because you’ve gotten so used to hiding your feelings from everyone, even from  _ me,  _ but we only have so much time left together.” Eli gritted her teeth, trying to stay focused on her point. “And I don’t like to think that we’ll be spending these last days together like...like THIS,” Eli threw up her hands, not having the words to fully express everything. “So for once in our friendship, will you please just admit it?”

“I don’t know what you mean, please stop asking,” again came Nozomi’s answer, her eyes looking anywhere but Eli, looking for a way out. 

Nozomi went to stand up; perhaps she’d go to the bathroom for a moment to clear her head. But Eli saw the movement first, and reached out to grab Nozomi’s hand in hers. When Nozomi tried to pull away, Eli only held on tightly.

“Please, Eli, give me back my hand..I h-have to…” Nozomi murmured, tears building in her eyes.

Eli shook her head.

“No, you’re doing it right now, I can tell. I can see it in your eyes, even when you won’t look at me, even when you try to hide from me. You’re trying to disappear on me or get away from me or something. I don’t know what you are hiding from me or why but I know you are and I just want you to talk to me.” 

Eli’s voice cracked on the last few words. She was trying so desperately to get her friend 

“We’re bestfriends, aren’t we?” Eli asked, softly, rubbing the back of Nozomi’s hand. 

Nozomi nodded quietly, making Eli hopeful. But Nozomi didn’t really know what to say or how to answer the question. It wasn’t a simple answer and she could feel her heart beating out of her chest. Was she wrong in her estimate? Should she say something now? Could she bear being honest right now? No, not in the middle of the restaurant. It wasn’t the time to admit her feelings. But something deep inside her wanted to answer honestly. Eli had asked so earnestly, even if it was a bit forceful. She admired Eli’s directness, but Nozomi wasn’t that brave. She had never been brave. But she could feel her exterior cracking.

“Elichi, I….” Nozomi began, but was cut off by the arrival of the waiter, who came bearing their pasta dishes. 

The two of them pulled their hands back from each other as the waiter set down their dishes in front of the two and began explaining what they the dishes were. Nozomi felt grateful for something else to focus on. 

The pasta al forno was set in front of Nozomi. 

And the pork Parmigiana was set in front of Eli.

Both dishes looked extremely good and the aromas coming off of the authentic italian food would entice anyone, normally. But in this tense moment, neither girl felt very hungry. It was Nozomi who made the first move.

“I need to visit the bathroom, I’ll be right back.” Nozomi murmured as she excused herself.

Eli didn’t get a chance to respond before Nozomi was up and gone from the table in a blur of purple hair. 

Eli stared down at her plate and a single tear fell into her pasta. How had this night gone so wrong?

\---

Dinner passed in mostly silence, each of the girls ate only a fraction of their meal and at the end, declined to-go boxes. Eli paid the check as Nozomi sat in silence. 

It was all very tense. 

As they left the restaurant, Eli finally spoke. “We should head back. Early morning tomorrow.” She said, simply. 

Nozomi nodded, but didn’t say anything. 

“We’ll need to take the subway. C’mon.” Eli motioned for Nozomi to follow her, and they walked the four blocks to the subway station that would take them back to the hotel.

\---

The exact moment that Eli and Nozomi had been separated in the crowd was extremely difficult for either of them to pinpoint. All that either of them knew was that one moment they were standing by each other on the platform, the train had pulled up in front of them, and then the crowd started moving. Both girls were pushed and pull within the throng of people and soon Eli was being shoved forward towards the train she needed to get on, while Nozomi had been pushed back and back until she somehow managed to end up on a train going the opposite direction. 

When Eli and Nozomi realized they had been separated they frantically moved towards the doors of their respective train cars, but neither of them could do anything but gaze at each other through the glass doors. And within seconds they were each hurtling away from each other at top speed.

\---

When Nozomi had been swept onto the wrong train and away from Eli, her thoughts were muddled by the initial moment of panic. But, she quickly regained control of the situation and grounded herself, taking a deep breath. She tried to decide the best course of action for this moment. Staying calm was key. She just needed to think.

Ok, she had just gotten onto the train and it had taken off in the direction of the next station. Which meant that all she needed to do was get off at the next station and take a train back in the direction that she had come from. Yes. It was that simple.

Nozomi exhaled a deep breathe and made her way slowly back towards the door to wait for the next time its door opened. Luckily, she still had her pass card incase she needed to charge another train fare for the opposite direction. 

When the train stopped, she stepped off, navigating the sign and went over to the other side of the platform to wait for the opposite train. From the looks of it, she’d be back at her previous destination with ten minutes. Once there, she simply had to wait for Eli to find her once more. Problem solved. 

Nozomi felt relieved now that the situation had been sorted out. She was still feeling off from her dinner conversation with Eli but she would be even more relieved when she saw her friend again, no matter whether they had fought or not. Nozomi only hoped that Eli would be okay until they found each other again.

\---

Eli’s approach to getting separated from her friend was a very ineffective one, if only due to the fact that panicking never did anyone any good. But, that was Eli’s way when she lost control of a situation. And Eli certainly wasn’t in control of the situation at the moment. It took her three whole stops before Eli managed to calm herself enough to get off the train and onto a platform that wouldn’t take her farther away from her friend. 

Once on the platform, Eli pulled out her cellphone but then remembered that she didn’t get service here. America was not within the range of her cellular network.

_ Ugh. So useless, _ Eli thought as she stuffed the phone back in her pocket, trying to prevent the tears from falling from her eyes. She needed to focus and find Nozomi. 

_ This is the worst possible thing that could have happened. Especially after our fight. Think, think, think. What should I do? Call the police? No, I don’t understand English that well. And I just lost her. Surely, I can find her myself. _

Eli looked around frantically. She noticed the other train rush by going in the direction that she had just come from. That was it! She just needed to go the opposite direction. Then she would find Nozomi again. She couldn’t have gone more than one or two stops down. Eli would just count the stops and find where she had landed. 

Eli stepped up near opposite platform and began the long wait until the next train would arrive.

_ Hold on, Nozomi, I’m coming to get you! _

\---

Nozomi sat waiting at the original stop for quite some time. It had been at least an hour and a half and she was wondering how lost Eli had actually gotten in the hustle and bustle of things. Eli wasn’t good at staying calm in unanticipated stressful situations, so she could only imagine the trouble she had gotten herself into while trying to fix the situation an reunite with Nozomi. 

Nozomi sighed, getting tired of waiting in the musky underground. The air down there was warm and oppressive. She’d been wondering for several minutes if she should perhaps just head back to the hotel and wait for Eli there. Perhaps that would be more practical, but she really didn’t want to prove Umi right if she came back having lost Eli in the process of their outing. 

No, she needed to try harder to find Eli. But she couldn’t do that underground. So, Nozomi headed towards the stairwell leading up and out. Perhaps above ground she could better analyze the situation. 

\---

For the past hour and a half, Eli had checked every stop that Nozomi could have gotten off at amidst the confusion, but her purple haired friend was nowhere to be found. Eli made her way back to the original stop that she had lost Nozomi at in the final hope that Nozomi had just gone back there. Perhaps Eli should have checked that place first, but now was too late to go back to the beginning of her search. 

The train pulled back into the original stop and Eli got off the subway car and looked around frantically for her friend. But alas, Nozomi was still nowhere in sight. 

Eli slunk off to the side where she found a bench and collapsed upon it. This whole evening had been terrible, and now she couldn’t find Nozomi again. Eli just had no clue where to look without heading back to the hotel, but then she’d have to deal with a frantic Umi and Eli didn’t have the energy after dealing with her own frantic self for the past hour or so.

“Stupid, stupid. I can’t even find her…” Eli murmured to herself.

As Eli sat with her head in her hands, an older japanese woman who was waiting for the train happened to peer over at her. Catching bits and pieces of Eli’s murmured conversation with herself, the woman waved at Eli to get her attention.

“Konbanwa!” the lady spoke to Eli as she waved at her. Eli blinked and sat up straight, looking over towards the sound of japanese being spoken. She saw the older woman and perked up. This woman appearing had to be a sign of good fortune. 

“Why are you so sad?” the woman asked. “Are you in trouble?” 

“Kind of, well, not me, you see, my friend…” Eli explained what had happened and the older woman patted Eli on the shoulder. 

“It’s okay. I will help you. Tell me what she looked like, I might have seen her come through. I’ve been waiting for my train for a little while, you see.” The woman said.

“Well, she’s a little shorter than me, purple hair that’s in a braid over one shoulder,” Eli gestured. “She was wearing a blue jacket, a white shirt and a purple skirt. Stockings, too. She’s japanese too.” Eli explained quickly.

The older woman thought for a moment. “Yes, I remember seeing such a girl. Green eyes, yes?” 

Eli nodded, standing up now. “Which way did she go? I have to find her.”

The older woman gestured toward the stairwell where Nozomi had exited. “She headed that direction, something about clearing her head since she had been underground for far too long. She left here about fifteen minutes ago so you should be able to catch her if you hurry.”

Eli bowed deeply to the old woman. “I am forever in your debt. Arigato Gozaimasu.” 

The older woman smiled and accepted the thanks before ushering Eli on her way. “Go, go find your friend. Stop looking so sad.”

Eli nodded and hurried off in the direction where Nozomi had gone.

The older woman chuckled to herself before shaking her head. “Young Love,” she sighed.

\---

Once above ground Eli set out looking in all directions for Nozomi. She stood on her tiptoes trying to look above the crowd as it pushed around her. Many people were annoyed by Eli’s actions as they interrupted the flow of the sidewalk traffic. If there was one thing about New York City, it was that it had a particularly fast speed associated with its pedestrian traffic. The people passing by Eli glared at her before they moved on their way. 

But Eli didn’t mind the stares. She was used to them from living in Tokyo. She stood out like a sore thumb due to her height, hair and eye color. All she cared about was Nozomi. She was so close to finding her. She asked a few people in broken english if they had seen a girl with purple hair. Many of the strangers did not understand what she was saying, but she came across a shop owner who pointed Eli a northern direction. 

“She headed towards the Square,” the man said. “Just go towards the lights.” He told Eli and she rushed off, head first into the looming crowd of touristy people.

\---

Nozomi had indeed headed towards Time Square. It was just her feet that had lead her there. She felt drawn to the place, but now she found herself in a huge crowd being pushed towards the center. She needed to find a break in the people so she could get her bearings once more.

\---

Eli continued her search, making her way through the dense cloud of people. She passed by a large restaurant with a guitar on the front of it, then some lobster restaurant, not to mention three separate tacky souvenir shops. The whole experience was so frustrating! She couldn’t make heads or tails of her direction and she couldn’t see Nozomi anywhere. Even if she was in the brightly lit area, Eli was incapable of finding her among the thousands of people out enjoying a late night.

Eli finally pulled herself from the flow of people and headed towards a bleachered area in the middle of the square. There weren’t as many people in this area, so Eli found that she could finally catch a breathe. But it wasn’t a relieved one. She still hadn’t found Nozomi and was beginning to panic at the idea that she would never see her friend again. What if something actually happened to Nozomi? What if Umi’s worries had been correct? Eli would never be able to forgive herself. 

Eli found herself slouching onto a bench and sitting down. Her body ached from the fall at the beginning of the evening, the thrumming of her blood against her muscles made her just aware of how tired she was after frantically searching for her friend. It was taking all of her energy to keep from curling up into a fetal position on the bench out of her feeling of worry and failure. 

Yes, it was true that Eli was somehow managing to remain sitting upright but she couldn’t help but put her head in her hands. It was almost midnight and Eli was losing all hope of finding Nozomi on her own.

And in the end, Eli felt the emotions bubble over and had no choice but to let herself finally be overcome with frustration and sadness as the tears came quickly, blurring her vision in the process, and finally spilling over onto the fair skin of her face. Before she knew it, her hands had become damp and all she could manage was to sit there and sob like a small, helpless child.

\---

Nozomi had found a secluded spot to stand and regroup her thoughts. She was standing nearby the Hershey's Factory store thinking what a shame it was that Eli wasn’t there to experience the American chocolate store. Nozomi ducked inside for a moment to get directions back to the hotel and to buy a small bag of chocolates as a present for Eli when she saw her once again. It was also an apology of sorts for getting lost, because while it wasn’t Nozomi’s fault for getting separated from Eli, she knew Eli well enough to know that she would need something to calm her down once she was reunited with her. Chocolate always did the trick, so it was a safe purchase.

Nozomi thanked the clerk, paying for her chocolates, and placed them in her purse. She headed outside of the store, surveying the area. There was a tall bleacher area about a block over. She decided to go over there and get a look at the area. If she could figure out which was was south, then she could start the journey back to the hotel. And who knows, if she was able to get a high enough position she might be able to luck out and see Eli. But Nozomi really didn’t expect to find her friend among all of these people.

Nozomi headed over, crossing a couple of streets and watched as several groups of people talked as they traveled through the city. And there was Nozomi all by herself with no one next to her. Nozomi felt like being alone in a city this large, an unfamiliar one, was a lot like how her life had always gone. It wasn’t particularly frightening being on one’s own like this, but it was lonely, and occasionally it just made Nozomi feel numb to all of the experiences around her. Because what were they worth if there was no one around in your life to share them with. As she thought about it this, Nozomi felt a pang in her heart because she had someone who was in her life to share things in. She had Eli. Well, she did until a few hours ago before they got separated. 

Nozomi was worried about her friend, but she had faith that they would reunited back at the hotel eventually. All would be well, she felt that in her bones. So, she didn’t feel too bad when she smiled to herself and laughed when began to imagine Eli all by herself in the city, freaking out. Eli was always prone to freaking out and Nozomi didn’t think that this instance would be any different than before. Yes, overreacting to almost anything she wasn’t familiar with was Eli’s forte, but in this case Nozomi supposed that it was warranted. Eli had gotten lost in a foreign city where she couldn’t speak the language fluently. Some worry was warranted. It probably should have affected Nozomi too, but she felt like she was just used to maintaining calm in unfamiliar and strange situations. She was used to being in new places, after all of the traveling that her and her parents had done. 

No, Eli was just so much more heart on her sleeve than Nozomi, so it would do well to find the blonde as fast as possible. Nozomi pulled out her cell phone to call Eli but then as she was about to press the call button underneath Eli’s name, she remembered that her service didn’t extend to America. 

Nozomi laughed at her own mistake and put away her phone after checking the time. It was almost midnight. She’d need to head back and soon. Nozomi headed towards the bleachers, spotting an open bench that she could climb upon to see better above the crowd. But as she approached it, she noticed that the far end of the bench, near the railing, sat a woman who was slightly hunched over, with her head in her hands. Her blonde hair was tied in a high, very familiar looking ponytail….

“Eli…” Nozomi breathed, not believing her luck. She would recognize that mess of blonde hair anywhere, not to mention the wonderful blue sweater that she had been wearing earlier. 

So, before Nozomi could stop herself she found herself running full force towards her friend.

\---

Eli was desperately trying to stop her sobbing and shaking. She must have looked insane, crying in public, even if it was America. She still needed to muster her strength to head back to the hotel, but she couldn’t make herself move. She felt so lost in this situation without Nozomi. Nozomi was always her anchor in stressful situations. The thought of Nozomi’s name brought on another surge of tears. Things had been left so terribly. None of this was supposed to be like this. She felt as if she had ruined their friendship and then she had lost Nozomi in America.  _ Two for Two, Ayase. _ Eli thought, cynically. 

Eli found herself slipping further down on the bench. She could just lay down here….

But that was when Eli heard the sound of footsteps quickly approaching her. Eli stirred, tilting her head towards the sound of the footsteps.

Looking up at the sound, Eli thought she was hallucinating. She thought she saw Nozomi running towards her, waving.

It wasn’t until she heard Nozomi’s nickname for her, that Eli knew she wasn’t imagining things.

“Elichi!” 

Eli snapped her head up. “Nozomi!” Eli exclaimed, standing up and running the short distance to intercept Nozomi. 

Even though Eli’s eyes were red and puffy, she made a quick path to her friend, unimpeded by mortal obstacle in that moment. She dodged around people trying to walk across the open area and lept over a small barrier column in the process. Eli didn’t care that she looked a mess, all that she knew was the relief she felt when she finally wrapped Nozomi in a tight hug and picked her up. Eli was so overcome with joy and relief that she began spinning Nozomi around in the middle of the walkway. A few people watched them curiously, but eventually went back to minding their own business.

Wrapping her arms around Eli in return as she was spun around and around, Nozomi found herself laughing with joy. It was this feeling that she had missed this evening, among the fight and discord. She had missed the sheer rightness of being with her Elichi. 

_ My Elichi, _ Nozomi thought with pain in her heart. That was right, no matter how many times they would fight they would always still be friends. Nozomi should have trusted in that.

Finally, Eli set Nozomi back on the ground. But she didn’t fully let go of Nozomi. Eli remained standing there, holding Nozomi in her arms as she continued the hug. And even though Eli was the taller of the two of them, she leaned down into Nozomi, laying her head on Nozomi’s shoulder. 

_ We fit so perfectly. _ Both girls thought at the same time.

Nozomi began to stroke Eli’s hair in order to comfort her. She could feel a few tears hitting the fabric of her jacket.

“There, there, Elichi. I’m right here. You shouldn’t cry so easily..” Nozomi commented softly, but with no judgement in her voice. Nozomi also felt the elation of their reunion, even if had only been for a few hours at most.

“I t-thought you were right behind me. I s-should have  _ *hiccup* _ paid more attention,” Eli hiccuped slightly, as she came down from her crying fit from a few moments ago. “And then I turned around and you w-weren’t there. I thought I had lost you. I searched...everywhere *sniff*...and I didn’t know who to ask and I couldn’t call you *sniff sniff*....And we had that weird fight and I...” Eli managed to squeak out the words as Nozomi continued to pat her on the back and smooth Eli’s hair. She was just happy to see her friend again, to hug her and inhale the scent that was the missing piece of the puzzle in her own life. Nozomi was always reminded of spring when she was around Eli. Spring, with a hint of chocolate in its clean scent, of course. 

“You didn’t lose me, I’m right here.” Nozomi hugged the blonde tightly. “You don’t ever have to worry about losing me. I’ll always be right here if you want me to be. Even if we are hundreds of miles away at different universities you can always call me and it will be like I’m right there.”

“Even when I’m stupid and cause a fight?”

“Even then.”

“Promise?” Eli asked.

“Promise,” Nozomi nodded. 

“I’m sorry.” Eli murmured after a few moments, before pulling back from the hug and looking Nozomi in the eyes. Her cheeks are still stained with tears. 

Nozomi dug into her bag for a handkerchief, retrieving it and then beginning to dry Eli’s tearstained face.

“For what?” Nozomi asked, gently. 

“For being insensitive. For asking you to talk about what was wrong when you weren’t ready. I was pushy. It wasn’t any of my business...” Eli admitted. “I was was wrong. And then I lost you on the subway. I’m a terrible friend.”

“No, I should be sorry. I shouldn’t have hidden my feelings. It should be different when I’m around you. Especially when it is you. You were right about that much. It’s just…” Nozomi closed her eyes for a moment before continuing her work of mopping up Eli’s face. “It’s just hard to express exactly what I’m feeling, at times. Especially when I’m scared.” Nozomi admitted. 

Eli began to watch her closely as she spoke.

“You don’t have to express them perfectly, you know? I know I’m a mess but feelings are feelings. Sometimes they are scary, but they, themselves, aren’t bad and they don’t necessarily have to make sense.” Eli spoke after a moment as she leaned into Nozomi’s hand as it worked to clean her face. 

Eli knew that she was getting into dangerous territory. Maybe Eli should make the first move and take her own advice in being more honest with her feelings. Eli didn’t like the thought of herself being a coward. She didn’t like the thought of losing Nozomi, to anything, let alone this city. The experience of getting separated had only made Eli more desperate to never letting go of this girl...no, woman, in front of her. Eli leaned in more to Nozomi’s hand, taking a chance.

Nozomi took a sharp breath at the sensation of Eli nuzzling into her hand. She wasn’t quite sure what to think about what Eli was doing but she wasn’t about to push the blonde away.

“I know they don’t, but expressing things isn’t natural for me. At least not things about myself. I don’t know where to start,” Nozomi admitted, but she tried to focus on the conversation at hand instead of the sensation on her hand.

“Then start small. What are you feeling right now?” Eli asked, softly, encouraging Nozomi to be honest with her.

There was a long moment of silence. But Nozomi found herself not wanting to run this time.

“That I’m happy to see you,” Nozomi said, finally, as a blush rose to her cheeks. Nozomi could feel her emotional walls begin to waver. She was beginning to wonder if this effect that Eli had was one of her good or bad qualities.

“I’m happy to see you too.” Eli returned the sentiment, reaching out her hand to tuck a stray hair behind Nozomi’s ear. 

“What else are you feeling?” Nozomi asked, tentatively, testing the tension between them, wanting to believe that Eli was feeling exactly what she was feeling in that moment.

“That I can’t lose you again,” Eli said, honestly. She was so close to saying it. She could just say it, right now...

“That’s silly, Elichi.” Nozomi smiled, as she removed her hand and the handkerchief from Eli’s face. “You can’t lose me. We came here together and we’ll go home on the same plane together.”

Immediately, they both missed the warmth of one another.

“No, that isn’t what I mean,” Eli managed to say.

“What do you mean, then?” Nozomi, said, biting the side of her lip. She didn’t know what answer to expect.

“I can’t imagine a day that goes by without you by myside. We’ve been friends for so long. You’ve always been there as my friend, as my vice president, as my partner. I don’t like the idea of graduating and not seeing you again...” Eli began.

“It’s not like you won’t ever see me again. I’ll probably just go to another school across town. We can plan to meet up once a month or something.”

“No, that won’t do. I need to see you every day.”

“Then we could go to the same university,” Nozomi offered. She knew that what she was feeling for Eli wasn’t the same as what Eli was talking about. Or at least she thought. Eli had never shown interest in love before. Eli didn’t think that way. “Then we would see each other more often. Though, I’m not sure I could get into your program. I mean, I’m no slouch on grades but I wonder if they would take me this late in the ga--”

“Nozomi…” Eli noticed the shift in Nozomi, indicating that she was, once more, dodging something that she was feeling. It was a tell that Eli was very familiar with. 

“Hmm?” Nozomi asked, trying to keep herself in the moment.

“This isn’t about just university. It’s about everything. Think back to our conversation earlier. The future and what it holds. If you are honest with yourself and what you feel, what is it that you actually want? You asked me that question once, remember?”

Nozomi nodded. She remembered all too well. Eli had run from her at first but eventually she had been honest. Perhaps it was Nozomi’s turn; it sure seemed like it.

“Well, now it is your turn to be asked. What is it that you want? And don’t try and answer with what major you’ll be taking. That isn’t what I mean,” Eli lightly scolded, knowing that Nozomi would take the opportunity to redirect the content of the conversation if she had the chance.

“Eli, I don’t know what you want me to say…” Nozomi looked away, knowing that she couldn’t escape the situation this time.

“It’s simple. I want you to be honest with me. I want to know what you are feeling, right now. No filters, no nothing. Just imagine that it is only me and you and no one else is here. Just...talk to me. That’s all I want.”

Nozomi didn’t answer at first and Eli squeezed her hands encouragingly. Eli could feel the connection that they shared. It was more intense in this moment than it had ever been before, leading Eli to believe that there was no way that her love could be one sided. She could feel something radiating from Nozomi, something longing to come out from inside her. It was simply impossible in this moment in time for there to be any other truth. 

“Please? For me? I’ll tell you anything you want in exchange. My deepest, darkest secret.” Eli offered, attempting to lighten the mood. To her credit, Nozomi did laugh. 

“You don’t have an secrets, Elichi.” Nozomi responded with a small smile. 

“I do. But this isn’t about me…” Eli nudged her again.

“You may not like it…” Nozomi admitted.

“Try me. Whatever it is, it isn’t for me to judge. Like I said, feelings are feelings and I’ll always accept you no matter what. I will always promise you that, Nozomi. That’s what you did for me when we met. You looked past my icy exterior and now here I am, better because of you. So, please, Nozomi, let me in.”

Nozomi gazed up at Eli as she processed the words her friend had just spoken. In the end it takes Nozomi quite a long time to answer, and in the background, she can hear a clock, somewhere, chime midnight. 

The sound of the clock drove Nozomi’s thoughts out of her head as she began to rapidly go over the facts: Eli was her best friend. Eli had always been there for her. Eli was here, now, seeing through her mask, wanting to truly know what was wrong. She said that she would accept her no matter what. That she would be there and would always be there. Nozomi wanted to honor Eli’s request and answer her truthfully, but she remained terrified. She hated being vulnerable, even if it was just Eli with whom she was exposing herself. But if now wasn’t the time to finally admit her feelings, when would be? Perhaps this was her only opportunity. But she couldn’t be sure, so Nozomi reached into her pocket and pulled out her tarot deck. If anything could guide her decision, the cards would. Nozomi offered the deck to Eli.

“Pull the top card.” Nozomi said, causing Eli to blink.

“Why?” 

“Just please do it. Then I can give you an answer.” 

Eli frowned but she did as she was asked and pulled the top card off of the deck, immediately showing it to Nozomi. 

The Lovers.

As soon as the card had been shown to her, Nozomi found that she couldn’t stop the words from pouring over her lips. 

“I love you. I’ve loved you for as long as I’ve known you. Perhaps the first day that I saw you in class, when you introduced yourself to everyone. You were cold and distant from everyone, you had too many emotions that you couldn’t keep in check, but I knew that I needed to get to know you. And then I became friends with you, but something inside me always wanted to be closer to you.” Nozomi wrapped her arms around her torso, turning to face away from Eli, shutting her eyes tight.

“Sometimes looking at you is painful. Not because you are unkind or a terrible person. It’s the opposite. You’re my very first miracle. You were the first person to ever anchor me to a place. Even my mother and father never did that. They were never home. They were busy with their work and that was important. But when I met you, we were important for each other. We needed each other and found a common ground. You were the only person I told about living alone and when you found out you came over to make sure I wasn’t lonely. You welcomed me into your life with open arms and you never judged me for my eccentric habits or my weird sense of humor. You were just you. Warm and kind. You are always so kind to me and others once you opened up. And you’ve blossomed so much more since you’ve joined μ's and gotten closer to the other girls. It reminds me that perhaps you aren’t just mine any more. That you might get taken away some day. But I didn’t want to confess to you because I was afraid it would scare you away. This love…”

Nozomi wasn’t sure when she had began crying, but she had. Eli only stood behind Nozomi, listening, awestruck.

“...many don’t approve of it. And I thought that if there was any chance that I would frighten you away...then I couldn’t bear it. I couldn’t bare to lose you as my best friend because then I don’t...I don’t know what I would do. There wouldn’t be...any reason…” Nozomi had lost her voice. The overwhelming release of emotion had taken the rest of her words from her and she had started to shake uncontrollably. 

And Eli still hadn’t said anything. 

Nozomi was beginning to think that this would be the last time she would ever get to talk to her best friend that surely she would be repulsed by her. But just as Nozomi was tightening her grip around herself and felt like running, another set of arms grabbed Nozomi and spun her around. Nozomi opened her eyes catching only a momentary glimpse of azure blue irises before she was pulled into a bone crushing hug. 

“Eli...I--” 

“Sssh. It’s my turn to talk, okay?” Eli said quietly. Nozomi nodded. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t notice before. I’m sorry you’ve had to suffer all this time. I’m sorry for not being braver…” Eli admitted as she stroked Nozomi’s hair. Nozomi tried to intervene again but was cut off. She could only cling to Eli in the hug.

“It’s my turn to tell you my deepest secret.” Eli admitted. Nozomi waited. 

“I love you, Nozomi. Like you, I don’t know when it happened. But I do. I think I have loved you for a very long time. I have thought many times about telling you how I felt, but I, too, was afraid of losing you. I thought that if I just kept it to myself that we could continue as close friends. I’d never have to worry about losing you that way, right? It made sense. But it kept eating away at me. And I thought I was being selfish. But I also wanted to make sure that you were never hurting because of me. That’s why when I knew you were hiding something from me the last few days I needed to figure out what it was. Because if I had done something to you, then I needed to fix it. If I had done something that could make you distance yourself from me then I needed to find out what it was.”

Nozomi took a ragged breath. “Elichi…” 

“I’m sorry for not being brave enough to tell you sooner. I would have saved you, no both of us, so much pain.” Eli looked into Nozomi’s eyes. “So, I’ll say it again. I love you, Nozomi. And I want you to be in every possible part of my life. I don’t care about anyone’s opinion of our relationship. Or society or anyone. I’ll transfer schools to be with you. I’ll work three jobs just to be near you. But, even though I wasn’t brave enough before, will you let me be brave enough now? Will you let me be your girlfriend?”

Tears continued to stream down Nozomi’s face, this caused Eli some concern. But Nozomi silenced her with a finger to her lips before she spoke again.

“I would like nothing more than that.” Eli beamed at her and Nozomi returned the smile. 

Eli’s heart pounded in her chest as she saw that it was completely genuine, causing Nozomi to shine brighter than the lights in Time Square. And in that moment, Eli couldn’t help herself. She leaned down and kissed Nozomi with all of the love she had been suppressing for years. Nozomi was caught off guard by the kiss but accepted it fully. She threaded her arms over Eli’s shoulders and around her neck, pulling the blonde closer to her, deepening the kiss. It was like fireworks and the first breath of spring and all of the good things in life combined. And Eli thought that finally kissing Nozomi had to be better than even chocolate. 

When they finally broke apart, the two of them were out of breath. But they didn’t move from their positions; they clung tightly to one another. Nozomi’s turquoise eyes searched Eli’s for a long moment. Eli smiled at her.

“What is it?” Eli asked.

“I’m just wondering if I’m dreaming.” Nozomi said quietly. Eli laughed. 

“I should be the one asking that. But no, this is real. It is the realest day in my entire life because I can finally tell you I love you outloud.” 

Nozomi smiled and then nuzzled her face into Eli’s shoulder. “Tell me again?”

“I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you.” Eli said sweetly over and over.

Nozomi laughed. It was light and airy. Full of happiness. It was like the wall that Nozomi’s emotions had been hiding behind had been shattered with just those few little words. 

“I love you too, Elichi.”

“I’m sorry tonight didn’t go very well. My plans sort of failed, then I lost you.” Eli admitted. 

Nozomi shook her head. “It was perfect, because this is how it ended. And that is what is important.” 

Eli smiled. “Fair point. But we should probably head back. It’s close to 1 am now. If Umi finds out we’re dead. I don’t know how much Maki or Kotori can do to intervene at that point.” 

Nozomi giggled, and Eli echoed it. 

“Ok, let’s head back. But only on two conditions.” Nozomi conceded, pulling away from Eli so she could look at her.

“And what would those be?”

“We hold hands on the way back.” 

“Okay,” Eli nodded and let her hand settle gently into Nozomi’s, intertwining their fingers in the process. “Done. Now, what’s the other condition.”

“I get another kiss.” Nozomi said bashfully, her face heating up a bit. Eli’s face matched hers, but she easily leaned in closer to Nozomi

“Any time you want another kiss, you have but to ask, my goddess.” Eli murmured quietly. Nozomi’s face went fully red before Eli captured her lips once more.

\---

The trip back to the hotel had gone without incident. Eli and Nozomi had held hands the entire way back so that neither of them would get lost this time. Or at least, that was the excuse they used. 

Nozomi felt infinitely lighter than she had before. She felt like she was walking on clouds as she and Eli walked down the hallway towards Nozomi’s hotel room that she was sharing with Maki for the trip. Nozomi’s only regret was having to part from Eli, now that they had returned back. They stopped a little ways down the hall from Nozomi’s door and stood near the elevators as they said their good nights. 

Nozomi pressed her lips once more to Eli’s savoring the feel. She wondered what tomorrow would hold for them both, now they had confessed. 

“Elichi?” Nozomi asked in a low voice as they broke apart from the kiss.

“Yes, Nozomi?”

“What are we gonna tell the others?” 

Eli thought for a moment, then shrugged. “What do you want to tell them? Do you want to keep it between us for a while?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe we’ll just let them find out. I can’t think that hiding it from them would be right, do you?”

Eli shook her head. “No, it wouldn’t. Besides, I’m fairly sure Maki already guessed,” Eli chuckled.

Nozomi laughed with her, trying to remain quiet as she did. “Remind me to buy her a parfait sometime. I think I owe a lot to her at the moment. If she hadn’t pushed you to take me out tonight..”

“...I would have remained an idiot and lost my chance. But because of her I now get to fully call you mine.” Eli smiled, clinging tightly to Nozomi.

“Mou, you’re so spoiled, Elichi,” Nozomi mock complained. “That’s like the twelvth hug you’ve give me.”

“I’m entitled to as many hugs as I want after the way my planning went this evening,” Eli grimaced. 

Nozomi patted her on the back.

“Everything worked out in the end, so I wouldn’t exactly call your luck poor,” Nozomi kissed Eli once again, causing her to smile.

“True. But that’s because you’re lucky, not me.” Eli beamed at her. 

Nozomi laughed. 

“We’re getting sickeningly sweet, which means it is probably time for bed. Umi will have use up early for running so we best not be late for that.”

“True. Alright. I’ll see you in the morning. Wanna meet me for breakfast before everyone else?” Eli asked, stealing one last kiss, which Nozomi obliged.

“Definitely. Come get at seven and I’ll be ready.” Nozomi said, as she pulled away finally and headed for her hotel room.

“It’s a date. Goodnight, Nozomi.” Eli waved, watching her new girlfriend, until she got to her door. 

Nozomi pulled out her key card and was about to open her door when she noticed a small note card on the door. It appeared to be addressed to her and by the look of the handwriting it was written by Nico-Nii herself. 

Nozomi opened the note, read it, and smiled. Nozomi laughed and then waved at Eli to come over to her.

Eli seemed surprised but did as Nozomi asked.

“Something wrong? Did you forget your keycard?” she asked.

Nozomi shook her head with a smile and handed Eli the noted. She read it with a curious raise of her eyebrow.

 

_ Dear Washi-monster, _

_ I’m decided that I’m tired of dealing with the russian giant sleeping in the same bed as the fabulous Nico-Nii. She hogs too much of the blankets and mumbles in her sleep while I’m trying to get some beauty rest. Honoka is enough of a handful without adding her royal russian blondeness into the mix. Therefore, I’ve decided to offload the giantess onto you. Don’t worry, I’ve taken Maki off your hands, I’m not THAT cruel, but I thought you should be aware of the trade. Enjoy your new roommate. _

_ -Super Idol Nico _

_ P.S.  You’re welcome. _

 

Eli’s eyes flew into her hairline as she finished reading the note. 

“I’m not a giant…” grumbled Eli as she returned the note to Nozomi, who had just opened the door to the room. 

Turning on the lights, Nozomi and Eli found that Eli’s luggage had been brought down into the room and there was no sign of Maki or her things. Nozomi laughed out loud.

“I think more than Maki knows already,” Nozomi winked at Eli, who looked embarrassed. 

“I just hope everyone else didn’t all realize our feelings before we did,” grumbled Eli. 

“Even if they did, it’s us that matter,” Nozomi reassured. “Besides, I’m pretty sure Nico just let me, well us, officially know that she and Maki have finally made a move.”

“Well, it would be about time, wouldn’t it?” Eli chuckled. 

“Mhm. It would. It seems like that is the theme for today, huh?” Nozomi kissed Eli on the cheek, causing her to blush. Nozomi could get used to this. 

“C’mon, let’s get ready for bed.”

\---

In another hotel room, two floors up, Nico laid face up, listening to a snoring Honoka to her right. She sighed. She didn’t know how anyone could make that noise. Nico was thinking up was she could silence the younger girl when she heard Maki react finally.

“Ugggggh,” Maki groaned, not bothering to be quiet. “She’s even noisey when she’s asleep. How does she even manage that? Maybe this was a bad idea, at least Nozomi didn’t  _ snore _ ...” she grumbled, but Nico knew she didn’t really mean it. They had done a favor for Nozomi and Eli in the end, and there was the perk of getting to stay in the same bed as Nico.

Nico chuckled, holding out the spare pillow to Maki. “Do you want to do the honors or shall I?” 

Maki looked at the pillow for a moment with confusion, before she waved it off. “It’s all you. Just don’t suffocate her.”

Nico grinned. “Wouldn’t dream of it. We still need her for tomorrow’s performance after all.”

And with a loud thump, Nico dropped the pillow on top of Honoka’s face, muffling the snoring that was coming from the sleeping girl. The improvement, while not perfect, was noticeable, causing the other two girls to brief a loud sigh of relief. Upon hearing each other do the same thing, they both cracked up, laughing. 

It took a minute for both of them to stop. Wiping their eyes free of tears, they relished in the moment. It was rare for them to be able to be unguarded around one another and Nico smiled over at Maki in the dark. Maki blushed in response. 

“What are you looking at?” Maki said before she could stop herself. But Nico knew it wasn’t as hateful a question as it sounded.

“Nothing,” Nico said, shaking her head. “Let’s get some sleep now that the Honoka train has been quieted.” She rolled over on her side, facing away from Maki. “Goodnight, Maki. See you in the morning.” She yawned.

Maki bit her lip before deciding something. She scooted in towards Nico and wrapped her arms around her from behind. Nico froze at first but relaxed as soon as she heard Maki’s voice.

“Goodnight, Nico-chan,” Maki whispered into Nico’s neck before placing a gentle kiss there. 

And though neither of them said, both of them could feel the love coming from their connected hearts.

\---

After changing into their pajamas, Eli and Nozomi crawled into separate beds and Nozomi clicked off the lights, leaving the bathroom light on and the door cracked slightly so that Eli wouldn’t freak out in the dark while they tried to sleep. 

As the too of them settled in, they said their goodnights and thought quietly about all that had happened that day.

After about an hour, Nozomi rolled onto her side and faced the bed that Eli laid in. She could just see the outline of the blonde’s body as she faced away from Nozomi. She felt warm inside and was still a little too wired to fall asleep.

“Elichi?” Nozomi whispered. 

And after a moment there was a reply. 

“Hmm?” asked Eli, quietly.

“Are you asleep?”

“No.”

“Me either.”

“Well, obviously, since you’re talking to me...”

“Ah, yeah. That’s true.” Nozomi giggled before falling silent once more.

The silence was broken by Eli’s voice after a moment.

“Nozomi?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m a little anxious about tomorrow’s performance.”

“Me too. But I know you’ll do great.”

“But I’m the center, what if I…”

“Elichi, you are always wonderful. And you’re pretty to boot!” Nozomi said, and Eli could feel the wink in her voice. Eli blushed even though no one could see her. 

“Mou...N-nozomi…”

“No, I mean it,” Nozomi said, reassuringly. “You are very pretty. Everyone thinks so. Don’t you remember half the school sending you love letters?” She laughed

“Besides, your dancing will be wonderful and precise as it always is. You have nothing to worry about.” Nozomi added.

“But what if…”

“Elichi, the cards already said you will do well, so don’t worry so much about it.”

“They did?”

“Yup, they did?”

“That’s good.”

Silence.

“Nozomi?” Eli called again.

“Yes, Elichi?” Nozomi said lovinging, not displeased at all that they were both still awake and talking.

“What card did I pull earlier that made you tell me the truth?”

“It was the lovers card.” Nozomi answered immediately.

“Well, that’s auspicious,” Eli commented.

“It is,” Nozomi agreed. “It was also precisely what I needed. It meant that our relationship was close enough that I could tell ya what I was feeling.”

“Did that card tell you that I would accept your feelings, too?”

“Hmm, no. But it gave me the hope that you wouldn’t reject them, either.”

“Oh. Well, I’m glad I pulled that card.”

“Me too.”

“Ok, Well, goodnight, I guess.”

“Goodnight, Elichi.”

Silence. 

“Elichi?” 

“Hmmm?”

“I…”

“Nozomi?” Eli turned over slightly, hearing the hesitation in Nozomi’s voice.

“Can I ask something selfish?”

“Anytime. What is it?”

“Can I sleep with you in your bed?”

Eli choked a bit. 

“Nozomi!”

“It’s not like that! I just…”

Eli waited for the response. 

“I just feel lonely sometimes when I sleep. And sometimes I have nightmares. I just want you near me so that maybe both of those things won’t happen,” Nozomi admitted.

Eli didn’t say anything, the room going very quiet. Nozomi closed her eyes, regretting asking. Perhaps, Nozomi had asked for too much. Their relationship was so new, after all. Perhaps it was too selfish.

Nozomi didn’t open her eyes until she felt the bed dip under the weight of someone crawling in under the covers next to her. 

“Eli--”

Nozomi was stopped mid-sentence as Eli wrapped her arms around Nozomi, snuggling softly into her, her scent taking over the space where the clean sheets had just moments before.

Nozomi’s eyes teared up slightly as she settled into the embrace allowing Eli to enfold her with her longer body. She felt the blonde’s lips on her neck as Eli nuzzled closer

“I’d rather sleep in yours. Is that okay?”

Nozomi nodded. “It’s perfect.”

“Good. Now, no more talking. Sleep now,” Eli yawned and her hot breath tickled Nozomi’s face in the process. “Goodnight, Nozomi.”

“Goodnight, Elichi.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

And the two quickly drifted to sleep in each other’s arms.

 

\---

The next morning, the other girls gathered for breakfast but noticed that Eli and Nozomi were missing from the table. Umi, of course, looked worried.

“They did come in last night, didn’t they?” Umi asked as she looked between Nico, Maki, and Honoka.

“I don’t know. I didn’t see them,” Honoka said without thinking after she devoured her third piece of toast. “Maki-chan was in our ro---”

But Honoka was stopped from continuing further as Nico slapped a hand over the energetic girl’s mouth.

“...was in our room until late, hanging out. We were going over music!” Nico finished for her, sliding her hand off of Honoka’s mouth.

“Y-yeah, that’s right.” Maki added. “But we did see them come in. They must just be running a little behind. Nozomi was finishing getting ready…”

Umi and the others looked confused, so did Honoka. But as she tried to contribute what actually happened again, Nico glared at her and she shut up.

“Yeah, Eli too. They’ll be down in a few minutes,” Nico confirmed the lie.

“O-oh, okay, that’s good.” Umi said, calming down enough to finish her sensible breakfast of proteins and fruits.

Beside her, Kotori was smiling at the waiter as he refilled her water for the third time. She thanked him and then looked over at Nico and Maki as she sipped on her straw after bringing to her lips. Nico looked up at her.

“What?” she asked Kotori, nervously. Thinking it was because she knew they were lying. 

Kotori just continued to smile.

“Oh, nothing. It’s a great morning, isn’t it Nico-chan?” She asked before going back to her own bowl of fruit. She could help but giggle to herself as she watched the not-so-secretive interactions and changes between Nico and Maki that morning.

“Y-yea, I guess so…” Nico murmured and went back to finishing her meal with the rest of the group.

Once they had all had their fill, they moved to wait out front for their final two members and begin stretching for their morning run. 

After a few minutes, Nozomi and Eli finally joined them, dressed in their usual workout clothes.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Umi breathed a sigh of relief. “Where have you two been? You didn’t come down for breakfast.”

“Yay! Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan are here now, NYA!” Rin cheered and Hanayo smiled.

Nozomi laughed at Rin’s antics and the group found themselves slightly in awe of the warmth contained within the laugh. It was like they were truly hearing Nozomi laugh for the first time.

Maki looked to Eli, who gave her a covert thumbs up with her free hand. Her left hand was firmly locked in Nozomi’s right. Maki nudged Nico who also saw it. 

“Yep, we’re here now. Sorry to keep you waiting. We returned a little later than we thought and we decided to have breakfast in our room to save time on getting ready,” Nozomi explained.

Kotori made a high pitched squawking noise when she heard that Nozomi and Eli had shared a room after their outing together and her eyes immediately flew to their connected hands.

“My other ship!” Kotori said before making another piercing sound that made them all cringe. Eli was pretty sure that only dogs could fully interpret that noise.

Kotori had been secretly hoping that something like this would happen, but she didn’t know she’d get this lucky. In a fit of excitement, Kotori found herself hitting Umi on the arm as she couldn’t contain her glee.

Umi recoiled from the unexpected act of shipper-violence.

“Kotori, what was that for?” Umi whined and pulled away, but Kotori had latched onto her arm and wasn’t going to let go as she squealed.

The rest of the girls looked on in awe. Nozomi giggled but Eli blushed a deep crimson. It was only when Eli let go of Nozomi’s hand to begin stretching that Umi noticed that her two senpai had been holding hands at all. She stopped and gawked at them.

“W-what’s going on?” Umi murmured as she slowly pieced things together. But she winced as Kotori maintained her death grip of glee on her arm.

Everyone but Nico and Maki began to swarm Nozomi and Eli with questions as they continued stretching. Nozomi answered a few, but only just enough without giving too much away. Everyone seemed happy for them, at least.

Nico finally had had enough of the commotion.

“Okay, okay, we get it,” Nico commented as she pulled Rin back by the collar of her shirt in order to get her away from Eli who looked more like a tomato right now than Maki normally did. “Yes, they finally came to their senses, and yes they are a thing. Now, can we focus on getting ready for our performance today. We’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

“Yes, Captain Nico!” Honoka and Rin saluted Nico in a silly fashion, causing her to sigh.

“Whatever. Rin, you’re the run leader as usual, just don’t go too fast this time,” Nico said, gesturing for the cat girl to get started.

“Okie dokie, Nya!” Rin said as she tugged Hanayo behind her and began to lead the group running. 

Everyone laughed as Hanayo struggled to get out of Rin’s grip, but was dragged along regardless. Maki rolled her eyes and took off after them, glancing back for a moment at Nico before she did. Nozomi, of course, caught the interaction. Nozomi finished her stretches and stood next to Nico as they watched Honoka join the run as well.

Nozomi hugged Nico from the side.

“H-hey, what was that for?” Nico complained as she tried to escape.

“For being an amazing friend, Nicocchi.” Nozomi said with a smile.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Uhuh, sure. In that case, I guess I’ll just have to surprise Maki with an extra firm wash-washi attack today since you won’t admit it…” Nozomi smirked before taking off after Maki and the others.

“Wait! Nozomi, don’t you touch her!” Nico called as she chased after Nozomi.

“Nicocchi’s got a girlfriend!” Nozomi teased, avoiding being caught by the shorter girl.

“NOZOMI!!” Nico yelled as they got further away, catching up with the group.

Eli sighed and shook her head before taking off on a steady jog attempting to stop Nico from killing her girlfriend. 

_ Girlfriend.  _ Eli really liked that thought. She smiled as she continued ahead, leaving only Kotori and Umi standing in front of the hotel.

“Wait, what does she mean girlfriend?” Umi said aloud. 

Kotori giggled, not answering her friend. She patted Umi on the head which only confused her more. But suddenly it clicked.

“You mean Nico...and Maki….?” Umi looked bewildered. “WHEN? WHERE?  _ HOW? _ ”

Kotori laughed more. “Last night, silly. They finally..connected.”

Umi nodded slowly, her face turning redder and redder. “And Eli and Nozomi?” She asked again.

Kotori thought Umi looked cute as a strawberry, but she wasn’t about to say it out loud. “Last night too. Sometime during their time out, I think. But that was a long time coming. We all saw the signs.”

“We did?” Umi asked.

Kotori nodded.

“Oh.” was all Umi could manage to say. Clearly she had missed these ‘signs.’

Kotori hopped around with glee, finally having released Umi’s poor arm. “It’s okay, Umi-chan. It’s a beautiful day and my ships have sailed. Also,” Kotori leaned in and quickly kissed Umi’s cheek. “You look cute when you’re embarrassed.”

Umi’s full transformation into a strawberry was complete now. She felt her face heat up and thought she might faint. Luckily for her, Kotori had already followed after the other girls for the morning run. 

It took Umi a moment to settle her thoughts and calm back down, muttering “shameless” to herself a thousand times, though she didn’t really mean it.

Then, very suddenly, Umi remembered what Nozomi had said.

Her eyes shot up to where her fellow school idols had taken off running and she felt herself running full force behind them.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU SLEPT IN THE SAME ROOM????!!!!” Umi screeched, as she began catching up to the others very quickly.

And in the distance, Nico, Maki, Nozomi and Eli flinched as they heard the approaching fury and disapproval of one Umi Sonoda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, folks. This is the end of this story. Final word count was ridiculous for a 'short fic' that I started during my visit to NYC last month. I began typing this story out on my cellphone when I was in my hotel room and I couldn't sleep. Something about the city inspired me and I'm glad I finished the story. 
> 
> I hope everyone enjoyed this story. Thank you for sticking with me!
> 
> I apologize for Umi having no chill, ever. Maybe one day I'll write something nice for her where she isn't complete neurotic. Maybe. We'll see. Also, I apologize for Eli's terrible luck leading up to the climax of the story but that is exactly how I pictured this going in my head for the poor girl. Luckily for her, Nozomi doesn't care about fancy nights out. She just wants to make sweet love to...
> 
> ...but I digress.
> 
> If you guys are interested, come follow me over on Tumblr (IcarusWings87) I post lots of Love Live stuff and will be doing a prompt submission thing in the next month if you have ideas/requests you'd like. Feel free to message me there too. I love to hear from you all. 
> 
> Now, it is on to finish my other stories. See ya on the flipside!

**Author's Note:**

> This is a two parter that I started about a month ago. I kept telling myself I'd finish my other fics first but this one kept bugging me to write on it. I should have the second chapter up in the next few days. It's a fun little side fic for your fluffy pleasure.


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